I 


h 
1 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


Handy-BiUy  Book 


OF 


New  Century  Pamphlets 
for  Seamen 


Seamen  afloat  are  the  masters  of  nature  because 
they  understand  her  laws  and  pull  together 
for  a  common  end;  ashore,  they  are  the  fools 
of  every  schemer  because  they  are  ignorant  of 
their  rights  and  divided  against  themselves. 
Fellow- workers,  let  us  know  our  little  book! 


f  ISSUED  BT  THE 

_  INTERNATIONAL  SEAMEN'S  UNION 

OF  AMERICA 

IQOI 


Handy-Billy  Book 


OF 


New  Century  Pamphlets 
for  Seamen 


Seamen  afloat  are  the  masters  of  nature  because 
they  understand  her  laws  and  pull  together 
for  a  common  end;  ashore,  they  are  the  fools 
of  every  schemer  because  they  are  ignorant  of 
their  rights  and  divided  against  themselves. 
Fellow- workers,  let  us  know  our  little  book! 


ISSUED  BY  THE 

INTERNATIONAL  SEAMEN'S  UNION 
OF  AMERICA 

1901 


H 


I  t 


PRESS  OF  HOLLISTER  BROTHERS 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

1901 


5-  4-3 
LJkrarr 


A  Word  of  Greeting 


The  one  word,  "seaman"  should  be  enough  to  at  once  put 
the  reader  and  writer  of  these  papers  on  a  good  understanding 
with  each  other.  As  seamen,  though  we  may  be  born  to  differ- 
ent mother-tongues,  we  have  learned  to  .think  in  one  lan- 
guage— the  language  of  our  common  sufferings  and  our  com- 
mon hopes.  As  seamen,  let  us  assume  the  mutual  right  to 
advise  and  the  mutual  claim  to  attention  on  matters  concern- 
ing our  own  affairs,  just  as  we  would  assume  that  right  and 
that  claim  in  the  affairs  of  practical  seamanship. 

That  the  seaman's  present  lot  is  by  no  means  a  happy  one 
is  not  due  to  any  lack  of  advice.  As  a  class,  we  have  been 
preached  at  and  prayed  for  by  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  per- 
sons, friendly  and  otherwise.  These  counsels  have  been  useless 
in  the  main ;  for  the  reason,  chiefly,  that  the  persons  offering 
them,  not  being  seamen,  have  been  unable  to  put  themselves 
in  true  touch  with  the  seamen's  conditions.  A  great  deal  de- 
pends upon  the  point  of  view.  What  may  be  true  to  one  man 
may  be  false  to  another ;  as,  for  instance,  it  may  be  sunrise  to 
the  man  at  the  masthead,  while  it  is  yet  dawn  to  the  man  on 
the  maindeck.  Thus,  most  of  the  advice  so  generously  be- 
stowed upon  us,  while  feasible  enough  in  the  circumstances  of 
shore  life,  has  been  utterly  impracticable  in  the  case  of  the 
seaman. 

We  have  been  told  that  much  of  our  hardship  is  due  to 
"natural  improvidence"  (that  is,  to  drink),  and  that  the 
remedy  in  the  case  is  to  straighten  up  and  lead  a  model  life. 
This  is  equivalent  to  advising  a  man  overboard  in  midocean 
to  save  his  life  by  getting  out  of  the  water.  To  throw  him  a 
grindstone  would'  be  a  more  practical  measure. 

The  notorious  fact  is,  that  while  the  conditions  of  the  man 
ashore — his  chances  of  getting  and  keeping  work— doubtless 
depend  to  some  extent  upon  sobriety  and  thrift,  the  chances 
of  the  seaman  in  these  respects  depend,  under  the  crimping 
system,  upon  his  character  as  a  good  spender.  It  follows 
that,  so  far  as  the  seaman's  character  is  molded  by  the  cir- 
cumstances upon  which  he  is  dependent  for  employment, 
"natural  improvidence"  is  an  effect  of  his  conditions,  not  a 
cause  of  them.  Any  advice  on  the  subject,  to  be  worth 
anything,  must  be  directed  to  removing  the  cause,  when  the 
effect  will  disappear  of  itself. 


Generally  speaking,  it  may  be  said  that  so  far  as  the  inter- 
est taken  in  the  seaman  by  his  friends  ashore  has  been  effect- 
ive at  all,  it  has  tended  to  weaken  rather  than  to  strengthen 
him.  It  has  sapped  his  self-dependence  and  made  of  him 
either  an  unreasoning  rebel  or  a  spiritless  discontent.  By 
dwelling  upon  his  wrongs  and  referring  the  causes  thereof  to 
his  own  shortcomings;  by  seeking  the  remedy  in  the  grace 
of  God,  the  charity  of  the  shipowner  or  the  mercy  of  the 
crimp,  the  seaman  is  impressed  at  once  with  a  sense  of  help- 
lessness in  himself  and  of  hopelessness  in  others. 

What  is  needed  is  to  appeal  to  the  seaman's  pride,  not  to 
his  shame ;  to  show  him  that  he  must  help  himself ;  to  show 
him  that  he  can,  and  how  he  can,  do  it. 

Every  improvement  made  in  the  seaman's  life,  and  there 
have  been  many,  has  been  due  in  the  first  place  to  the  sea- 
man's own  efforts,  through  the  power  of  organization.  Where 
the  best  efforts  of  the  seaman's  friends  ashore  have  failed,  the 
efforts  of  the  seaman  himself  have  succeeded,  because  they 
have  been  based  upon  a  true  appreciation  of  the  evils  to  be 
dealt  with,  and  because  they  have  been  backed  by  the  force 
of  self-help. 

Organization,  to  be  permanent,  must  be  founded  and  main- 
tained upon  devotion  to  the  principle  that  "in  union  is 
strength" ;  to  be  successful,  it  must  be  guided  by  intelligence. 
Only  by  education  can  we  realize  that  principle  and  attain 
to  that  intelligence  necessary  to  the  advancement  of  our  con- 
ditions and  the  achievement  of  that  justice,  honor  and  hap- 
piness which  is  the  due  of  every  seaman,  and  which  should 
be  the  object  in  life  of  every  self-respecting  human  being. 

To  further  the  education  of  our  fellow-seamen  is  the  pur- 
pose of  the  following  pages.  To  every  seaman,  whether  a 
member  of  a  union  or  not,  they  will  appeal  with  special  inter- 
est— to  the  union  seaman  as  a  source  of  pride  and  encourage- 
ment; to  the  non-union  seaman  as  the  inspiration  of  a  hope 
for  better  times  in  his  calling  and  the  guidance  in  a  duty 
to  join  the  only  movement  that  can  make  that  hope  a  reality. 

Nothing  ever  "just  happens"  in  the  world ;  everything  has 
its  cause.  The  success  or  failure,  of  the  seamen's  unions  will 
not  follow  as  the  accident  of  good  or  bad  times,  the  excess 
of  the  demand  over  the  supply  of  labor,  or  vice  versa,  but  as 
the  direct  result  of  intelligent  or  unintelligent  action  in  those 
circumstances  over  which  the  seamen  themselves  have  con- 
trol. Let  every  reader  bear  in  mind,  therefore,  that  upon 
himself  rests  the  responsibility  for  the  future  of  our  great 
work ;  that  it  will  succeed  or  fail  in  proportion  as  he  brings  to 
it  devotion  and  knowledge,  or  selfishness  and  ignorance. 
INTERNATIONAL  SEAMEN'S  UNION  OF  AMERICA. 


No.  i.     New  Century  Pamphlets  for  Seamen,  issued  by  the  International 
Seamen's  Union  of  America,  1901. 


Organization — What  It  Means 

A  hundred  years  ago  there  were  no  seamen's  unions  in  the 
United  States.  The  life  of  the  seaman  in  those  days  was 
summed  up  in  two  periods ;  namely,  a  hard  time  afloat  and  a 
good  time  ashore.  There  was  no  thought  in  his  mind  of 
any  attempt  to  make  life  at  sea  more  endurable  and  life  ashore 
more  rational.  At  sea  he  suffered  like  a  beast,  and  consoled 
himself  with  the  reflection  that,  at  least,  he  was  at  liberty 
to  have  a  beast's  time  when  ashore.  He  accepted  the  hard- 
ship of  his  life  as  natural  and  inevitable,  and  regarded  its 
pleasures  as  a  form  of  compensation  which  it  was  his  duty  to 
secure  the  most  of.  Outward  bound,  his  maxim  was,  "Grin 
and  bear  it ;"  homeward  bound,  it  was  '"Let  us  eat,  drink  and 
be  merry,  for  tomorrow  we  ship." 

Note  the  change  in  the  seaman's  attitude  at  the  beginning 
of  the  new  century !  The  idea  of  organization  on  trade  lines, 
which  has  spread  so  rapidly  among  all  classes  of  wageworkers, 
has  taken  hold  of  the  seaman  with  all  the  force  of  irresist- 
ible truth.  To-day  the  seaman  of  intelligence  who  has  seen 
this  truth  would  as  soon  think  of  questioning  the  winds  or 
tides  as  of  disputing  the  necessity  and  power  of  trade-union- 
ism. To-day  the  intelligence  of  our  class,  as  represented  in 
our  unions,  recognizes  that  the  circumstances  of  life  at  sea 
are  largely  within  our  own  control ;  that  we  cannot  excuse 
indifference  to  our  own  welfare  by  the  plea  of  helplessness; 
that  there  is  but  one  limit  to  what  we  may  accomplish  in 
improvement — namely,  the  limit  of  the  numbers  organized. 

Truth,  once  seen,  can  never  be  observed.  It  will  compel 
acknowledgment  and  force  action.  The  truth  of  organization, 
once  seen  by  a  few  seamen,  has  compelled  them  to  work  for 
the  spread  of  that  power  among  their  fellow-workers.  The 
result  we  find  in  the  seamen's  unions  in  the  different  seaports 
of  the  country.  These  unions  form  the  links  of  a  chain 
which,  before  the  century  just  opening  is  well  under  way, 
will  bind  the  seamen  of  all  nations,  tongues  and  colors  in  one 
great  movement  for  the  common  good.  In  the  ''Brotherhood 
of  the  Sea"  the  characteristics  of  the  seafaring  class,  which, 
in  the  individual,  are  a  source  of  weakness,  will,  by  the  mere 
fact  of  combination,  form  a  source  of  strength  that  will  be 
invincible  to  the  assaults  of  the  common  enemy. 


The  formation  and  growth  of  these  unions  is  the  work,  not 
of  a  hundred,  but  of  less  than  twenty  years.  During  the 
greater  part  of  the  century,  while  the  workers  in  shore  trades 
were  organizing  and  enjoying  the  benefits  of  that  method, 
the  seamen  remained  at  the  mercy  of  their  enemies.  To  the 
pioneers  of  organization  among  the  seamen  it  seemed  for  a 
time  as  though  the  nature  of  our  calling  might,  after  all, 
prove  the  impossibility  of  mutual  help.  First,  the  law  was 
against  us ;  then,  there  was  the  admixture  of  races  among 
us,  our  inability  to  resist  imposition  at  sea,  the  hostility  of 
the  officials,  the  false  sentiment  of  the  public,  the  short  stay  in 
port — now  in  one  part  of  the  world,  now  in  another — and, 
finally,  the  power  of  the  crimp.  All  these  features  combined 
to  form  a  problem  that  seemed  well-nigh  hopeless. 

But  no  sooner  was  the  first  seamen's  union  formed  than 
these  difficulties  began  to  disappear,  or  to  appear  in  the  light 
of  actual  helps.  It  was  seen  that  by  altering  the  law  in  the 
interest  of  the  seaman  we  would  have  in  the  support  of  the 
Government  a  power  superior  to  that  of  the  crimp ;  that 
though  we  might  be  natives  of  different  countries,  speaking 
different  tongues,  we  were  first  of  all  seamen,  and  working- 
men,  and  that  an  earnest  appeal  to  the  interests  of  the  men  of 
that  calling  and  class  would  unite  them,  to  the  exclusion  of 
race  or  other  prejudices.  And  so,  in  numerous  other  respects, 
the  seamen's  unions  demonstrated  the  power  of  organization 
to  transform  the  very  circumstances  that  make  the  seaman 
helpless  as  an  individual  into  elements  of  strength  when  acting 
with  others  of  his  calling. 

Organization  is  order,  discipline  and,  consequently,  effi- 
ciency. As  an  instance  of  organization,  the  seamen's  unions 
are  an  application  by  the  seamen  themselves  to  their  personal 
affairs  of  the  principle  that  applies  in  their  daily  lives  at  sea. 
Imagine  a  case  in  which,  when  a  vessel  is  being  put  about, 
every  man  should  act  on  his  own  responsibility,  with  the  sole 
idea  of  getting  ahead  of  the  other  man — the  fellows  forward 
shifting  their  sheets,  booms  and  yards  before  the  fellows  aft 
had  started  theirs — and  you  get  a  fair  idea  of  the  actual  con- 
dition among  the  unorganized  workers,  where  each  man  tries 
to  get  an  advantage  of  every  other.  The  result  is  the  same  in 
both  cases — confusion  and  failure. 

Organization,  by  uniting  the  workers  in  an  orderly  and 
disciplined  movement  to  better  their  conditions,  accomplishes 
in  that  regard  just  what  the  application  of  the  same  prin- 
ciple accomplishes  in  the  management  of  a  vessel. 

The  union  of  the  members  of  a  family  is  the  first  and 
strongest  bond  between  men.  The  union  of  the  members 
of  a  trade  (i.  e.,  the  trade-union)  comes  next  in  the  order  of 


progress  and  power.  Each  trade  has  its  own  peculiarities, 
which  only  the  men  following  it  are  competent  to  deal  with. 
The  common  interest  of  men  in  a  given  trade,  which  attracts 
and  holds  them  to  the  task  of  regulating  the  conditions  under 
which  they  earn  their  daily  bread,  develops  naturally  into  a 
common  interest  in  the  general  affairs  of  life.  In  its  nature, 
therefore,  the  trade-union  is  not  only  the  most  powerful 
agency  for  the  promotion  of  the  special  interests  of  a  given 
class,  but  it  is  the  foundation  of  all  other  movements  in  the 
interest  of  society  at  large. 

"In  union  is  strength."  By  the  union  of  any  number  of 
men  the  individual  becomes  as  strong  as  the  whole.  Take 
a  number  of  ropeyarns,  useless,  as  ropeyarns,  for  anything 
but  junk — knot,  wind  and  marl  them,  and  the  result  is  a 
selvagee  that  will  hold  where  rope  will  slip.  Take  a  num- 
ber of  metals,  each  of  little  use  in  itself,  weld  or  mold  them 
in  appropriate  kinds  and  quantities,  and  we  have  the  bell  that 
makes  music  to  the  soul,  the  blade  that  will  split  a  hair  or 
the  projectile  that  will  pierce  the  bowels  of  a  mountain.  Take 
a  number  of  men,  the  weak  with  the  strong — each  equally 
the  helpless  creature  of  our  industrial  system, — weld  them  by 
the  influence  of  a  common  cause,  and  we  have  a  trade-union 
that  is  all-powerful  to  protect  and  secure  justice  for  all. 

Organization  is  nature's  law.  It  is  the  law  that  keeps  the 
stars  in  their  courses,  that  regulates  the  tides,  that  guides  the 
winds,  that  governs  the  actions  and  develops  the  properties  of 
all  bodies  and  forces.  When  men  discover  the  operation  of 
this  law  in  a  given  case  they  create  a  science,  by  which  they 
are  enabled  to  forecast  events  and  to  regulate  actions  for 
their  own  benefit.  The  discovery,  then,  of  the  law  that  gov- 
erns man  as  a  factor  in  the  industrial  world,  and  the  knowl- 
edge of  its  operation,  is  the  science  of  trade-unionism.  The 
seaman  who  ignores  or  defies  that. science  is  as  foolish  as 
the  navigator  who  should  ignore  or  defy  the  sciences  of 
astronomy  and  mathematics. 

Organization  is  wisdom — the  wisdom  of  numbers.  "No 
one  is  wise  alone."  In  the  struggle  of  to-day,  when  the  indi- 
vidual conditions  are  governed  not  by  individual  wisdom,  but 
by  competition  with  the  general  mass  of  men,  the  wisest  may, 
and,  in  fact,  must  learn  from  the  simplest,  and  the  simplest 
from  the  wisest,  since  in  the  power  to  affect  each  other's  con- 
ditions they  are  equal.  The  day  has  passed  forever  when  the 
man  of  brains  could  act  without  reference  to  the  future  of  the 
man  of  brawn,  secure  in  the  belief  that  the  future  held  for 
himself  both  wealth  and  ease.  To-day,  and  probably  for  all 
time,  the  man  of  brains  and  the  man  of  brawn  must  go  hand 
in  hand,  each  recognizing  the  duty  to  aid  the  other,  each 
dependent  for  advancement  upon  obedience  to  that  duty. 


Organization  is  morality.  It  is  an  expression,  an  example, 
probably  the  most  practical  of  the  kind  ever  given  to  the 
world,  of  men's  obligation  to  each  other  in  the  furtherance 
of  the  general  welfare,  of  unselfishness,  of  devotion  to  right, 
as  opposed  to  might,  of  the  principle  that  "an  injury  to  one  is 
the  concern  of  all,"  of  that  attribute — the  highest,  as  well 
as  the  most  human,  of  all  the  virtues — the  love  of  one's  fel- 
lowman. 


No.  2.    New  Century  Pamphlets  for  Seamen,  issued  by  the  International 
Seamen's  Union  of  America,  1901. 


Objects  of  the  Union,  and  Duties 
of  the  Members 

The  first  object  of  the  seamen's  unions  is,  of  course,  to 
raise  wages,  to  reduce  the  daily  hours  of  labor  and  to  remedy 
the  hundred  and  one  abuses  to  which  the  seaman  is  subject, 
afloat  and  ashore. 

The  seaman  who  depends  upon  himself,  or  rather  upon  the 
crimp,  for  the  terms  of  employment  is  paid  less  and  treated 
worse  than  any  man  in  all  the  ranks  of  labor.  Not  only  are 
his  wages  ridiculously  small  but  he  is  systematically  and 
remorselessly  robbed  of  even  that  pittance.  He  is  continu- 
ally at  the  mercy  of  his  enemies,  who  grow  rich  and  fat  upon 
his  misfortunes.  The  seaman  who  depends  upon  organization 
to  protect  him  in  demanding  decent  wages  and  fair  treat- 
ment has  already  secured  many  advantages  in  these  respects. 
To  secure  these  advantages  for  all  seamen,  all  seamen  must 
organize.  All  seamen  wish  these  advantages,  and  would  no 
doubt  ask  for  them  if  consulted  in  the  matter.  But  wishing 
and  asking  are  of  no  avail  unless  backed  by  the  only  power 
that  can  make  them  effective — the  power  of  a  trade-union. 
The  man  who  employes  labor  never  pays  more  wages  than  he 
is  forced  to.  The  trade-union,  being  the  only  power  that 
can  enable  men  to  agree  upon  a  demanct  for  fair  wages,  and 
to  withhold  their  services  until  these  are  granted,  is  the  only 
power  that  can  force  the  employer  to  grant  them. 

The  main  object  of  the  seamen's  unions,  then,  is  to  secure 
a  rate  of  wages  based  upon  the  amount  and  the  nature  of 
the  labor  performed,  and  to  secure  these  wages  to  the  seaman 
himself,  as  against  the  impositions  and  thieveries  of  other 
classes.  Other  objects,  equally  important  in  the  end,  are : 
Shortening  of  the  working  day  in  port;  observance  of  Sun- 
days and  holidays,  in  port  and  at  sea ;  improvement  of  food ; 
enlargement  of  forecastles;  increase  in  the  number  of  men 
carried  in  each  vessel,  and  the  total  abolition  of  that  hideous, 
soul-destroying  evil,  "Buckoism." 

Some  of  these  objects  can  be  accomplished  directly  by 
organization;  others  can  only  be  secured  through  the  passage 
of  laws,  which,  in  turn,  is  an  object  that  in  itself  can  only  be 
secured  by  organization.  Laws  are  made  by  men  to  serve 


their  own  personal  ends,  not  to  serve  the  good  of  other  men, 
and  particularly  not  when  the  interests  of  the  latter  are 
directly  opposed  to  those  of  the  former.  Most  of  the  law  in 
the  seaman's  case  has  been  made  by  the  shipowners,  and,  con- 
sequently, in  the  shipowners'  interests,  because  the  seamen, 
as  individuals,  did  not  know  how  to  make  laws  for  themselves, 
and,  even  if  they  had  known,  were  not  able  to  exercise  any 
influence  at  the 'seat  of  legislation.  But  the  seamen,  acting 
collectively,  have  already  proved  that  they  are  able  not  only 
to  draft  laws  in  their  own  interest,  but  to  secure  their  passage, 
and  afterward  to  enforce  them.  This  the  seamen  have  not 
only  proved  to  be  possible — they  have  actually  done  it ;  done 
it  through  their  organizations. 

The  further  purposes  of  the  seamen's  unions  are,  to  educate 
the  members  of  our  craft  in  those  matters  that  directly  affect 
our  interests,  and  by  so  doing  to  liberate  the  seaman  from 
that  bondage,  of  the  body  and  of  the  mind,  that  is  the  result  of 
ignorance ;  to  instill  a  spirit  of  self-dependence  and  self-re- 
spect ;  to  bury  the  dead ;  to  care  for  the  shipwrecked  and  dis- 
tressed; to  inspire  courage,  and  to  create  a  feeling  of  confi- 
dence in  the  seaman — confidence  in  himself  and  his  fellow- 
workers.  Through  the  seamen's  unions  the  public,  too,  will 
be  educated  to  a  correct  view  of  our  affairs  and  to  a  correct 
judgment  of  our  work  for  the  improvement  of  them.  In  this 
way  the  false  impressions  of  the  public,  which  have  led  to  a 
feeling  of  contempt  and  antagonism  toward  us,  will  be  re- 
moved, and  in  their  stead  will  grow  a  sentiment  of  respect  for 
our  calling  and  a  willingness  to  assist  us  in  achieving  our  aims. 
By  organization  the  seaman  and  the  shipowner  or  shipmaster 
will  be  brought  together  in  arranging  the  terms  of  employ- 
ment, to  the  exclusion  of  the  crimps,  "shipping  agents"  and 
all  other  classes  of  middlemen  who  live  by  their  power  to 
keep  employer  and  employee  apart,  until  they  consent  to 
pay  tribute  for  permission  to  transact  their  own  business. 

Strikes  and  other  labor  troubles  are  the  result,  in  many 
instances,  of  the  failure  of  either  party  to  meet  the  other  in  a 
free  and  fair  discussion  of  their  mutual  affairs.  By  bringing 
the  seaman  face  to  face  with  hi%  employer  the  seamen's 
unions  reduce  the  danger  of  strikes,  and  thus  substitute  con- 
ference for  conflict,  agreement  for  aggression. 

In  order  that  these  purposes  and  objects  may  be  fulfilled 
certain  duties  arc  imposed  upon  every  member,  which  he  must 
observe  and  faithfully  perform.  When  the  seaman  joins  a 
union  of  his  craft  he  takes  a  solemn  obligation  to  treat  every 
other  member  as  a  brother.  The  first  duty  of  a  union  man  is 
to  keep  this  obligation  constantly  in  mind  and  to  endeavor 
in  every  way  to  live  up  to  it,  in  letter  and  spirit.  He  should 


endeavor  to  regard  himself  as  the  union,  not  as  merely  a  little 
part  of  it;  to  recognize  that  faithfulness  to  the  union  means 
faithfulness  to  himself;  to  recognize  that  the  orders  of  the 
union  are  his  own  orders — that  its  affairs  are  his  own  affairs. 
The  man  who  merely  pays  dues  to  a  union  and  stops  at  that, 
leaving  the  real  work  of  the  organization  to  his  fellow  mem- 
bers, is  not  a  good  union  man.  The  seamen's  unions  of  to- 
day were  born,  and  have  lived  and  grown,  in  the  spirit  of 
devotion  that  stops  at  no  sacrifice  of  personal  ends,  so  long 
as  the  general  welfare  could  be  served.  This  spirit  has  led  our 
members  to  suffer  cheerfully  that  their  comrades  might  reap 
the  benefits  of  their  adherence  to  union  principles.  These 
benefits  the  seamen  of  to-day  are  now  enjoying;  this  spirit 
they,  too,  must  display  if  they  hope  to  retain  the  advantages 
already  gained  and  to  make  further  progress  on  the  same 
lines. 

It  is  the  duty  of  a  union  man  to  uphold  every  other  in 
obeying  the  laws  of  the -union,  and  to  condemn  him  in  dis- 
obeying them ;  to  so  conduct  himself,  at  work  and  at  play, 
that  his  example  will  make  converts  and  friends  to  the  union. 
Above  all,  it  is  the  duty  of  a  union  man  to  respect  the  will 
of  the  majority,  as  much  when  it  is  against  as  when  it  is  in 
favor  of  his  own  views.  The  views  of  the  greatest  number 
must  prevail  at  all  times  or  the  whole  work  of  the  union  must 
fail.  Remember,  the  majority  is  always  right,  for  the  reason 
that  action  of  any  kind  is  only  possible  by  the  agreement  of 
the  greatest  number. 


ii 


No.  3.     New  Century  Pamphlets  for  Seamen,  issued  by  the  International 
Seamen's  Union  of  America,  1901. 


Seamen's  Union  History 

The  man  who  never  looks  behind  never  gets  ahead.  To 
see  the  future  we  must  know  the  past.  To  lay  the  course 
of  the  labor  movement  we  must  note  its  history,  just  as,  to 
lay  the  course  of  a  vessel,  the  navigator  must  note  exactly 
his  point  of  departure.  The  history  of  the  seamen's  unions 
has  its  lessons  and  its  inspiration  for  every  man  who  would 
lend  a  hand  in  the  great  work  of  improving  industrial  life. 

First,  in  the  order  of  its  achievements,  is  the  Sailors'  Union 
of  the  Pacific.  To  seamen  of  all  grades,  the  world  over, 
and  to  the  organized  workers  generally,  as  well,  the  name 
of  that  organization  stands  as  a  striking  example  of  the  power 
of  trade-unionism.  To  its  own  members  it  has  been  a  comfort 
and  a  protection ;  to  the  workers  of  the  world  it  has  been  a 
beacon  light  that  shone  the  brighter  the  darker  the  times. 

In  the  early  '8os  affairs  among  the  men  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  had  reached  the  limit  of  endurance  for  those  who  still 
retained  a  spark  of  manhood.  The  situation  may  be  de- 
scribed by  the  phrase,  "Hunger  and  Hard  Graft."  Practi- 
cally, the  notorious  deepwater  conditions  prevailed  in  the 
matters  of  shipping,  food,  treatment,  etc.,  while  the  work 
itself  was  of  the  hardest  and  most  exacting.  Ashore,  the 
crimp  had  full  swing;  at  sea,  the  bucko  was  undisputed.  It 
mattered  not  how  much  wages  might  rise  or  fall,  for  in  the 
end  the  crimp  got  everything. 

This  condition  had  prevailed  for  a  long  time,  and  was  be- 
coming rapidly  worse,  when,  in  1885,  a  few  men  got  together 
and  decided  upon  common  action  against  the  abuses  to  which 
they  were  subject.  At  this  time  the  whole  country  was  stirred 
by  the  spirit  of  industrial  discontent  and  industrial  organiza- 
tion. The  seamen  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  taking  courage  from 
the  efforts  of  their  fellow  workers,  decided  to  form  a  trade- 
union.  So,  on  March  6,  1885,  they  met  on  Folsom  Street 
Dock,  in  San  Francisco,  and  banded  themselves  together  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Coast  Seamen's  Union.  The  surround- 
ings might  well  have  discouraged  any  body  of  men  less 
inured  to  hardship  or  less  driven  by  force  of  circumstances. 

The  night  was  wet  and  windy.  The  speakers  addressed  the 
gathering  from  a  lumber  pile.  In  the  crowd  that  listened  to 
the  gospel  of  working-class  emancipation  on  that  memorable 


12 


night  were  men  of  the  very  classes  which  the  seamen  were 
met  to  form  battle  against.  But  the  heart  of  the  crimp  was 
light.  He  sneered  at  the.  bare  thought  of  the  seamen  sticking 
together  for  their  own  good.  The  event  proved,  however, 
that  although  the  crimp  might  be  a  good  judge  of  the  sea- 
man in  despair,  he  could  not  anticipate  the  power  of  the 
seaman  in  hope  and  determination. 

The  Coast  Seamen's  Union,  formed  on  the  lumber  pile, 
adjourned  to  a  small  room  and  proceeded  to  business.  The  first 
work  of  the  Union  was  marked  by  a  degree  of  ambition  nat- 
ural to  men  newly  inspired  with  faith  in  their  cause.  A  Union 
shipping-office  was  opened,  followed  by  the  establishment  of 
a  Union  boarding-house.  By  these  means  the  Union  aimed; 
to  secure  not  only  the  seaman's  chances  of  getting  employ- 
ment, but  also  his  chances  of  living  while  awaiting  work. 
What  the  shipping-office  and  boarding-house  failed  to  accom- 
plish in  practical  results  was  amply  made  up  in  the  experience 
that  subsequently  enabled  the  Union  to  make  progress  in 
other  and  greater  things. 

In  the  following  years  there  were  successes  and  failures ; 
but  always  the  confidence  of  the  members  in  their  Union, 
grew,  and  with  that  its  future  was  assured.  In  1887  the 
"Coast  Seamen's  Journal"  was  first  issued.  Though  at  first 
but  a  humble  sheet,  ridiculed  by  its  enemies  as  a  mere  abor- 
tion of  journalism,  the  ''Journal"  has  lived  and  increased  in 
power  and  influence,  until  it  has  become  one  of  the  leading 
labor  papers  of  the  world.  In  1891  the  Union  again  opened 
a  shipping-office,  which  was  conducted  with  great  success  for 
a  time.  During  the  same  year  an  amalgamation  was  formed 
between  the  Coast  Seamen's  Union  and  the  Steamship  Sail- 
ors' Protective  Union.  The  two  unions  thus  combined  rep- 
resented the  seamen  employed  on  both  steam  and  sailing 
vessels  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  under  the  name  of  the  Sailors' 
Union  of  the  Pacific. 

In  1892  the  Union,  recognizing  that  the  maritime  law,  as 
it  then  existed,  prevented  anything  like  permanent  progress 
in  the  betterment  of  the  seaman's  lot,  elected  a  legislative 
committee  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the. law  in  all  its 
phases  and  its  effects  upon  the  seaman,  with  the  object  of 
drafting  a  bill  that  would  meet  the  needs  of  the  case.  To 
the  work  thus  begun  and  kept  up  to  the  present  time  is  due 
the  passage  of  those  important  measures,  the  Maguire  and 
White  Acts  (passed  in  1895  and  1898,  respectively),  which 
have  to  a  great  extent  freed  the  seaman  from  the  power  of 
the  crimp  and  placed  in  his  own  hands  the  power  to  make  a 
fair  contract  for  his  services,  and  to  prevent  the  violation 
of  that  contract  by  his  employer. 

13 


When  we  reflect  that  the  maritime  law  of  the  country  is 
supported  by  the  traditions  of  centuries  and  backed  by  the 
most  powerful  interests  in  the  shipping  and  business  world, 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  victory  of  the  seamen  in  this  matter  is 
the  strongest  possible  proof  of  the  power  that  lies  in  organ- 
ization to  right  the  oldest  and  most  extensively  backed  wrong. 
During  the   long   period   of   hard   times   which   began   in 
1893,  the  Union  passed  through  a  number  of  experiences 
which  tested  to  the  fullest  degree  its  capacity  to  endure  ad- 
versity.    The  unflinching  resistance  of  the  Union  prevented 
the  cutting  of  wages  to  the  lowest  possible  figure.     In  the 
excitement  of  the  times  many  crimes  were  committed  against 
ships  and  seamen,  with  the  double  object  of  bringing  the 
Union   into   public   disrepute  and   of  forcing  the   members 
through  fear  to  abandon  it.     The  Union's  enemies  thought 
by  these  means  to  accomplish  that  which  they  were  helpless 
to  do  in  fair  fight.     The  prosecutions  of  Union  members 
which  followed  these  crimes  failed  utterly  and  ignominiously 
in  every  case.    The  Union  came  out  of  the  ordeal  triumphant. 
By  the  devotion  and  courage  of  the  members  the  Union  rose 
in  the  estimation  and  confidence  of  the  public,  and  gained 
that  strength  which  enabled  it,  when  times  improved,  to  as- 
sume full  control  of  the  seamen's  interests,  and  to  establish 
itself  firmly  and  permanently  in  every  seaport  of  the  Pacific 
Coast,  from  Puget  Sound  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

The  history  of  the  seamen's  unions  on  the  Great  Lakes 
and  the  Atlantic  Coast  is  in  general  the  same  as  that  of  the 
organization  just  described.  The  seaman's  grievances  being 
everywhere  of  the  same  general  kind,  and  the  means  adopted 
for  their  cure  everywhere  the  same  in  character,  the  same 
experiences  and  the  same  results  have  everywhere  followed. 
The  Lake  Seamen's  Union,  organized  in  1863,  has  existed 
continuously  for  thirty-seven  years.  In  that  period  the  sea- 
men of  the  Lakes  have  seen  the  conditions  of  their  calling 
change  from  the  small  sailing  vessel  to  the  monster  steamer 
and  the  tow-barge;  from  the  small  shipowner  to  the  great 
corporation.  These  changes,  while  increasing  the  power  of 
the  seaman's  employers,  have  hindered  the  work  of  organiza- 
tion among  the  seamen  themselves  by  the  consequent  change 
in  the  character  of  the  men  employed.  To  a  great  extent  the 
seaman  was  displaced  by  the  "deckhand,"  who,  being  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  a  landsman,  was  not  fitted  either  by 
inclination  or  capacity  to  unite  with  seamen.  But,  in  spite 
of  these  and  other  drawbacks,  the  Lake  Seamen's  Union, 
persevered  in  the  determination  that  the  men  employed  on  the 
Lakes — wheelmen,  lookouts  and  deckhands — should,  sooner 
or  later,  recognize  their  common  interests,  In  this  instance, 

14 


as  in  all  others  where  the  true  spirit  of  trade-unionism  pre- 
vails, success  has  rewarded  constancy  and  persistency.  The 
Lake  Seamen's  Union  is  to-day  a  healthy  and  vigorous  body, 
rapidly  increasing  in  membership  and  influence  in  all  the 
ports  of  the  Lakes. 

The  Atlantic  Coast  Seamen's  Union,  organized  in  1889,  has 
throughout  its  career  maintained  the  work  of  bringing  to- 
gether the  seamen  of  the  Eastern  seaboard,  in  the  face  of  the 
greatest  difficulties.  The  crimping  system  prevailed  in  this 
locality  to  a  greater  extent,  probably,  than  in  any  other  in 
the  country.  Much  of  the  time  and  resources  of  this  body 
have  been  expended  in  the  effort  to  shake  off  the  crimp.  In 
the  circumstances,  progress  has  necessarily  been  slow  and 
attended  by  temporary  failures  and  discouragements.  But 
with  each  victory  the  future  has  become  easier,  so  that  now, 
for  the  first  time,  the  seamen  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  enjoy  a 
degree  of  independence  in  arranging  the  terms  of  employ- 
ment. The  certain  result  of  devotion  to  the  principles  of  or- 
ganization is  well  illustrated  by  the  Atlantic  Coast  Seamen's 
Union,  as  it  now  exists.  After  many  years  of  seemingly 
hopeless  conflict  with  the  ancient  enemies  of  their  calling  the 
seamen  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  are  realizing  their  own  powers, 
and  increasing  them  day  by  day. 

Previous  to  1892  the  seamen's  unions  had  existed  inde- 
pendently of  each  other.  It  was  realized,  however,  that  or- 
'ganization,  to  be  thoroughly  effective,  must  be  national  as 
well  as  local.  So,  in  that  year  the  seamen's  unions  of  the 
Lakes,  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  joined  hands  under  the 
name  of  the  International  Seamen's  Union  of  America.  By 
this  step  the  three  unions  became  one  in  all  matters  of  equal 
interest.  The  respective  unions  continued  to  regulate  wages 
and  other  local  affairs  according  to  local  conditions,  but  in 
matters  of  law  and  their  relations  to  each  other  all  were 
regulated  by  the  International  Union.  While  the  unions  had 
always  maintained  the  most  friendly  relations,  assisting  each 
other  whenever  possible,  it  was  but  natural  that  differences 
of  opinion  should  exist  on  some  points,  particularly  as  to  the 
legislative  measures  best  calculated  to  redress  certain  evils. 
This  state  of  affairs  was  fatal  to  the  hope  of  securing  favorable 
legislation.  The  International  Union,  at  its  conventions,  dis- 
cussed these  differences  and  came  to  an  agreement,  by  which 
the  seamen  united  in  the  demand  for  certain  measures.  To 
the  influence  thus  exercised  by  the  International  Union  is 
mainly  due  the  passage  of  those  laws  which  have  proved  so 
beneficial  to  the  seamen  in  every  section  of  the  country. 

Another  advantage  gained  by  the  International  Union  is 
the  agreement  for  an  exchange  of  cards.  By  this  arrange- 


ment  any  member  of  one  union  arriving  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  another  is  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  latter 
upon  the  simple  presentation  of  his  membership  card  and  the 
payment  of  dues.  The  same  principle  has  been  extended  to 
the  seamen  of  other  countries  by  an  agreement  for  the  ex- 
change of  cards  between  members  of  the  Sailors'  Union  of 
the  Pacific  and  the  Australian  Seamen's  Union,  while  a  sim- 
ilar arrangement  is  now  being  discussed  with  the  British 
Seamen's  Union.  Thus,  the  question  of  forming  a  world-wide 
union  of  seamen,  from  being  a  remote  ideal,  has  in  a  few 
years  become  a  matter  of  practical  moment,  awaiting  only  the 
thorough  organization  of  the  seamen  in  the  respective  local- 
ities for  its  complete  realization. 

The  International  Seamen's  Union  of  America,  although 
at  present  containing  only  unions  of  seamen,  strictly  so  called, 
is  designed  to  embrace  unions  of  all  classes  employed  on 
steam  and  sailing  vessels  on  the  seas  and  on  the  Lakes.  The 
efforts  of  the  International  Union  are  directed  to  organizing4 
unions  of  firemen,  cooks  and  stewards,  as  well  as  of  seamen, 
separately  and  independently  so  far  as  necessary  for  dealing 
with  the  conditions  peculiar  to  each  branch,  but  uniting  them 
in  the  International  Union  so  far  as  necessary  for  dealing 
with  the  conditions  common  to  all.  With  the  energetic  pur- 
suit of  this  plan  the  near  future  will  see  a  united  movement 
of  all  classes  of  maritime  workers — the  men  of  the  stoke- 
hole, of  the  glory-hole,  and  of  the  dog-hole — in  all  the  ports 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

The  history  of  these  organizations,  short  though  it  be, 
abounds  in  experiences  which,  if  properly  noted,  will  serve 
as  a  guide  to  the  seamen  of  to-day  and  those  who  come 
after  them  in  assuring  the  effectiveness  and  permanency  of 
our  work.  We  see  in  the  loyalty  of  the  members  to  their 
unions  in  times  of  discouragement  and  temporary  defeat  a 
proof  that,  whatever  its  difficulties,  organization  alone  offers 
a  chance  of  ultimate  success  in  any  effort  at  real  improvement 
in  the  life  of  the  seaman.  The  conviction  that  if  organization 
failed  no  other  means  could  possibly  succeed,  kept  alive  and 
ofttimes  renewed  the  determination  that  organization  must 
succeed  at  any  cost  of  personal  suffering  and  loss.  Conse- 
quently, it  did  succeed. 

We  see  in  the  mutual  helpfulness  of  the  seamen's  unions 
toward  each  other,  and  in  much  of  the  work  done  by  these 
unions  for  non-members  and  for  the  unions  of  other  trades, 
a  clear  recognition  of  the  principle  that  a  union  helps  itself  in 
helping  others.  To  the  sense  of  gratitude  for  the  ready 
response  given  by  the  seamen  to  the  call  for  aid  in  the 
struggle  of  other  organizations,  as  much  as  to  the  sense  of 

16 


simple  justice,  is  due  the  powerful  moral  support  which  we 
have  received  from  the  labor  movement  at  large. 

The  failure  of  the  early  efforts  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  Sea- 
men's Union  to  combine  seamen  and  firemen  in  one  body, 
and  the  success  of  the  amalgamation  between  the  Sailors' 
Union  and  the  Steamshipmen,  on  the  Pacific,  marks  distinctly 
the  line  between  dual  and  single  organization.  The  result 
proves  that  classes  of  men  whose  work  differs  in  its  nature 
—who  do  not  interchange  in  their  occupations — should  or- 
ganize separately;  while  those  whose  work  is  essentially  of 
the  same  nature — who  interchange  jobs  with  one  another — 
should  organize  together.  In  the  design  of  the  International 
Seamen's  Union  is  recognized  the  principle  that  all  unions 
of  kindred  trades — that  is,  of  men  following  the  sea — should 
be  affiliated  under  one  head  for  the  regulation  of  all  kindred 
affairs. 

Finally,  we  note  that  safety  and  success  depends  upon 
sound  business  and  financial  methods,  and  upon  the  personal 
control  and  attention  by  the  members  to  every  detail  of  their 
organization. 


No.  4.    New  Century  Pamphlets  for  Seamen,  issued  by  the  International 
Seamen's  Union  of  America,  igoi. 


Crimping,  Allottment  and  Involuntary 
Servitude 

What  man  has  done,  man  may  do.  This  saying  has  become 
trite  through  the  very  force  of  its  truth.  It  is  probably  truer  in 
the  case  of  the  seaman  and  the  crimp  than  in  any  other. 
The  crimp  has  kept  the  seaman  at  his  mercy  for  generations 
under  a  law  that  gave  the  former  all  the  advantage.  The  law 
has  lately  been  altered  in  the  seaman's  favor,  but  the  crimp 
is  still  master  of  the  situation  where  the  seaman  does  not 
know,  or  does  not  try  to  enforce  the  law.  Laws  do  not 
operate  mechanically,  like  clocks;  they  merely  guarantee  the. 
sanction  and  assistance  of  the  authorities  to  persons  in  doing 
or  preventing  certain  acts.  And  even  the  authorities  won't 
act  of  their  own  accord;  they  act  one  way  or  another  in  the 
interests  of  the  side  that  brings  most  pressure  to  bear  upon 
them.  In  a  word,  a  law,  no  matter  what  its  original  purpose 
may  be,  becomes  in  practice  just  what  it  is  desired  it  should 
be  by  those  who  actually  enforce  it. 

The  very  existence  of  the  crimp  at  this  late  day  is  a 
positive  proof  of  this  statement.  For  many  years  the  law 
has  prohibited  crimping.  But  the  crimp  has  continued  to 
live  and  thrive,  because  he  alone  had  any  say  in  enforcing 
the  law.  The  seamen,  acting  individually  or  even  as  ships' 
crews,  were  helpless  before  the.  organized  forces  of  their 
enemies.  Of  course,  the  crimp  naturally  made  the  most  of 
every  feature  of  the  law  that  could  by  any  means  be  con- 
strued in  his  interest.  But  he  did  more  than  that.  He  used 
the  provisions  of  the  law  that  were  plainly  intended  for  the 
seaman's  protection  against  crimping  as  a  means  of  increas- 
ing the  seaman's  helplessness  in  the  case.  The  crimps  were, 
organized ;  they  brought  their  united  strength  to  bear  upon  the 
shipowners,  the  shipping-commissioners  and  the  courts.  Con- 
sequently, the  law  against  crimping  became  a  law  in  favor 
of  that  practice.  It  always  has  been,  and  always  will  be,  the 
same  in  this  and  in  all  other  matters  concerning  the  seamen, 
until  they,  too,  organize  and  adopt  the  same  means. 

The  origin  of  the  crimp  dates  as  far  back,  probably,  as  the 
origin  of  sin  itself.  As  the  flea  is  natural  to  the  dog,  and 
the  sucker  to  the  shark,  the  crimp  and  his  species  are  natural 

18 


to  any  class  that  is  weak  enough,  or  ignorant  enough,  to 
allow  itself  to  be  preyed  upon.  The  crimp  came  into  exist- 
ence naturally  as  the  result  of  a  scarcity  of  seamen.  When- 
ever, for  any'  reason,  men  refused  to  go  to  sea,  the  govern- 
ment and  the  shipowner,  while  unwilling  to  make  terms  with 
the  seaman  that  would  have  led  him  to  accept  employment 
voluntarily,  were  willing  to  make  terms  with  any  one  who, 
by  trick  'or  by  force,  could  deliver  crews  on  board  ship. 
When  the  British  Government,  owing  to  its  treatment  of  its 
naval  seamen,  could  not  secure  men  to  man  its  fleets,  it 
offered  a  shilling  a  head  to  any  one  who  could  deliver  the 
goods.  Thus  the  press-gang  came  into  existence.  In  order 
to  make  money  the  press-gang  roped  in  fishermen,  farmers 
and  any  other  classes  that  could  be  secured.  The  crimp- 
gang  of  to-day  is,  in  all  important  respects,  the  press-gang 
of  the  past;  the  objects,  methods  and  motives  in  both  cases 
are  practically  the  same. 

The  crimping  system  depends  for  its  existence  mainly  upon 
two  things ;  namely,  the  advance,  or  allotment,  as  it  is  called, 
and  imprisonment  for  desertion.  People  ashore  may  differ 
in  opinion  as  to  the  real  purpose  of  allotment.  Some  may  say 
that  it  is  a  convenience  to  the  seaman  who  leaves  dependent 
relatives ;  others  may  say  that  it  is  a  necessity  to  the  seaman 
who  squanders  the  wages  of  one  voyage  without  thought 
for  the  needs  of  the  next.  The  seaman,  however,  knows  that 
allotment  is  at  bottom  a  payment  to  the  crimp  for  his  serv- 
ices in  securing  crews — a  payment  made  by  the  seaman  him- 
self for  his  own  enslavement.  To  prove  this  we  have  only  to 
note  the  well-known  fact  that  as  a  general  thing  the  seaman 
cannot  get  employment  unless  he  is  willing  to  sign  for  allot- 
ment. In  a  word,  it  is  the  crimp,  and  not  the  seaman,  who 
needs  and  who  secures  the  allotment. 

The  history  of  the  allotment  law  is  a  further  proof  of  this 
conclusion.  Prior  to  1884  it  was  the  custom  to  pay  advance 
in  a  lump  sum  "on  the  capstan-head" — that  is,  as  soon  as  the 
seaman  went  on  board  ship.  In  that  year  an  Act  of  Congress- 
was  passed,  totally  prohibiting  the  payment  of  advance,  and 
confining  the  payment  of  allotment  to  certain  dependent  rel- 
atives of  the  seaman.  Thus  the  crimp's  main  source  of  rev- 
enue was  cut  off.  What  was  the  result?  The  shipowner, 
of  course,  might  himself  have  paid  the  crimp  for  his  services, 
but  to  do  so  would  have  been  to  sacrifice  the  sole  advantage 
to  the  shipowner  of  the  crimping  system.  If  the  cost  of  that 
system  could  not  be  taken  out  of  the  seaman's  wages  the 
crimp  might  as  well  have  gone  out  of  business,  so  far  as  the 
shipowner  was  concerned. 

The  immediate  effect  of  the  prohibition  of  advance  was  to 

'9 


tie  up  the  shipping  of  the  great  seaports.  The  crimp  would 
not  provide  seamen,  and  the  latter  were  unable  to  ship  them- 
selves without  the  consent  of  the  former.  The  shipowners 
and  shipmasters  preferred  to  suffer  a  temporary  loss,  rather 
than  see  the  crimps  defeated,  for  they  knew  that  the  success 
of  the  latter  would  be  to  their  advantage  in  the  future.  After 
the  lapse  of  two  years  (in  1886)  Congress  amended  the  law 
so  as  to  permit  the  payment  of  allotment  to  an  "original 
creditor"  in  liquidation  of  a  just  debt  for  board  or  clothing. 

The  result  of  this  step  was  to  place  the  whole  matter  pre- 
cisely where  it  had  been  prior  to  the  abolition  of  advance. 
The  "original  creditor"  was  the  crimp;  the  supposedly  "just 
debt"  for  board  and  clothing  was  mostly  a  rank  robbery  for 
"shipping  fees"  and  other  illegal  and  fraudulent  charges; 
while  the  allotment,  instead  of  being  paid  in  installments  at 
the  end  of  each  month  during  the  voyage,  was  paid  in  a 
lump  sum  as  soon  as  the  vessel  sailed,  thus  becoming,  in  fact, 
advance.  The  allotment  law  having  been  thus  altered  to  suit 
the  crimp,  was  satisfactory  to  everybody  but  the  seaman. 
That  the  law  was  altered  to  suit  the  crimps  proves  that  that 
class  are  the  real  beneficiaries  of  the  allotment  system. 

The  law  under  which  the  seaman  could  be  compelled  to  go 
on  board,  and  to  stay  on  board,  after  having  signed  articles, 
upon  pain  of  being  imprisoned  and  afterward  placed  on  board 
in  irons  was  a  natural  accompaniment  of  the  law  providing 
for  the  payment  of  the  seaman's  wages  'to  his  creditors. 
Whatever  excuse  may  have  existed  in  the  conditions  of  the 
remote  past  for  the  law  that  made  the  seaman  practically  a 
serf  to  his  ship,  it  is  a  fact  that  the  excuse  offered  in  recent 
times  for  that  law  is  that  as  the  shipowner  advances  so  much 
money  on  the  wages  to  be  earned  by  the  seaman,  the  law 
should  give  the  shipowner  the  power  to  keep  possession  of 
the  seaman  until  he  has  earned  the  money  thus  advanced. 

The  law  under  which  the  seaman  was  forced  to  work 
against  his  will  has  been  recognized  by  the  seamen's  unions 
as  creating  a  condition  of  involuntary  servitude,  and,  there- 
fore, a  violation  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
Upon  this  understanding  the  Sailors'  Union  of  the  Pacific, 
in  1895,  appeared  the  famous  Arago  case  to  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court.  The  Court  upheld  the  law  and  de- 
clared that  the  seaman  did  not  come  under  that  provision  of 
the  Constitution  which  prohibits  slavery  and  involuntary  serv- 
itude. In  substance  it  appears  that  just  as  allotment  is  neces- 
sary to  secure  the  services  of  the  crimp,  so  imprisonment 
for  desertion  is  necessary  to  secure  the  return  by  the  seaman 
to  the  shipowner  of  the  money  originally  paid  out  of  the 
latter's  wages  as  allotment. 


20 


Another  means  by  which  the  seaman  was  kept  in  subjection 
to  his  enemies  was  the  boarding-house  custom  of  holding  the 
seaman's  clothing  in  event  of  his  refusal  to  accept  the  crimp's 
terms  of  shipment,  or  settlement.  The  seaman  who  other- 
wise might  have  objected  to  an  unreasonable  bill  was  forced 
to  accept  it  or  leave  the  boarding-house  and  lose  his  clothing. 
As  refusal  meant  starvation,  the  seaman  was  forced  to  submit 
to  every  extortion. 

Under  the  operation  of  these  methods  the  seaman  was  liter- 
ally the  slave  of  the  crimps  ashore  and  of  the  shipowner  or 
ship's  officers  at  sea.  The  former  held  possession  of  his 
means  of  employment,  controlled  his  wages,  held  his  clothing 
and  ruled  in  the  important  question  as  to  whether  or  not  he 
should  get  food  and  a  place  to  sleep.  The  latter  held  pos- 
session of  his  body  and  forced  him  to  labor  by  means  not 
one  whit  removed  from  the  tactics  of  the  common  slave- 
master. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  organized  seamen  some  of  these 
evils  have  been  for  the  greater  part  entirely  abolished.  The 
Maguire  Act,  passed  in  1895,  prohibited  the  payment  of  allot- 
ment and  imprisonment  for  desertion  in  the  coastwise  trade. 
The  same  Act  also  prohibited  the  holding  of  any  seaman's 
clothing.  The  White.  Act,  passed  in  1898,  continued  the 
prohibition  of  allotment  and  imprisonment  for  desertion  in 
the  coastwise  trade;  also  the  prohibition  against  holding  a 
seaman's  clothing.  In'  addition,  the  White  Act  reduced  the 
amount  of  allotment  that  might  be  paid  by  a  seaman  on  a 
foreign-going  voyage  to  a  sum  not  exceeding  one  month's 
wages  in  all,  and  made  this  provision  applicable  to  all  vessels, 
foreign  as  well  as  American,  signing  crews  in  American 
ports.  It  prohibited  the  arrest  or  imprisonment  of  any  sea- 
man shipped  for  a  foreign  voyage  for  refusal  to  join  his  ship 
or  for  desertion  in  any  American  or  near-by  foreign  port.  It 
reduced  the  maximum  term  of  imprisonment  for  desertion 
in  a  foreign  port  from  three  to  one  month,  and  made  the  inflic- 
tion of  that  punishment  optional  with  the  court,  instead  of 
mandatory  upon  it,  as  was  previously  the  case.  The  White 
Act  contained  numerous  other  provisions  for  the  benefit  of 
the  seaman,  which  will  be  noted  in  their  proper  place.  In 
the  respects  here  mentioned  the  White  Act  accomplished,  so 
far  as  a  law  could  of  itself  do  so,  the  practical  liberation  of  the 
seamen,  coastwise  and  foreign-going,  from  those  conditions 
which  were  mainly  responsible  for  his  helplessness.  The 
vital  feature  of  the  matter,  namely,  the  enforcement  of  the 
law,  remains,  of  course,  with  the  seamen  themselves. 

In  order  that  the  seaman  may  know  just  where  he  stands 
the  leading  features  of  the  law  as  it  now  exists  are  here  set 
forth  : 


21 


Imprisonment  for  failure  to  join  a  vessel  after  signing  arti- 
cles, or  for  desertion  at  any  time  during  the  voyage,  is  entirely 
abolished  in  the  coastwise  trade.  Coastwise  trade  (some- 
times called  "excepted  port,"  or  "near-by  foreign  port"  trade) 
is  trade  between  any  ports  on  either  seaboard  of  the  United 
States  and  trade  between  any  port  of  the  United  States  and 
any  port  in  British  North  America  (Canada),  Newfoundland, 
the  Bahamas,  Bermudas,  West  Indies,  and  Mexico.  The 
trade  between  a  United  States  port  on  the  Atlantic  and  a 
United  States  port  on  the  Pacific  is  called  the  "  'Round  the 
Horn  "  trade. 

Imprisonment  for  desertion  in  a  foreign  port  is  limited  to 
one  month,  which  imprisonment  is  left  entirely  to  the  discre- 
tion of  the  court.  If  the  deserting  seaman  can  show  good 
cause  for  leaving  his  vessel  the  judge  may  order  him  set  at 
liberty.  Seamen  engaged  on  any  vessel,  in  the  coastwise  or 
foreign  trade,  may  leave — that  is,  desert — in  any  port  of  the 
United  States,  or  in  any  port  of  the  countries  previously 
named  as  included  in  the  coastwise  trade.  The  seaman  leav- 
ing a  vessel  in  any  of  these  ports  may  take  his  clothing  with 
him.  He  may  also,  before  leaving,  demand  one-half  of  the 
wages  due  him,  provided  he  has  not  signed  the  latter  right 
away  at  the  time  of  shipping.  The  clothing  and  effects  left 
on  board  when  deserting  he  forfeits  all  future  claim  to. 

Advance  is  prohibited  in  all  trades,  under  penalty  of  a 
fine  of  not  less  than  four  times  the  amount  advanced  and 
imprisonment  for  six  months. 

Allotment  is  totally  prohibited  in  the  coastwise  trade.  A 
seaman  in  the  foreign-going  trade  may  allot  any  portion  of 
his  wages  to  his  grandparents,  parents,  wife,  sister  or  children. 
The  amount  of  allotment  payable  to  an  "original  creditor" 
(that  is,  to  a  crimp  or  a  boarding-master)  is  regulated  by  the 
following  schedule : 

1.  On  voyages  in  the  "  'Round  the  Horn  "  trade,  or  trade 
between  American  ports  on  the   Pacific  or  Atlantic   coasts 
and  ports  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  not  exceeding  one  month's 
wages. 

2.  On  voyages  between.  American  ports  on  the  Atlantic 
and  foreign  ports  on  the  Atlantic  south  of  the  Equator,  and 
between  American  ports  on  the   Pacific  and  foreign  ports 
on  the  Pacific  west  of  the  iSoth  meridian,  or  south  of  the 
Equator,  not  exceeding  twenty  days'  wages. 

3.  On  voyages  in  the  Western  Ocean  trade  (that  is,  trade 
between  American  ports  and  foreign  ports  on  the  Atlantic 
north  of  the  Equator),  and  trade  between  American  ports 
and  foreign  ports  on  the  Pacific  east  of  the  iSoth  meridian 
and  north  of  the  Equator,  not  exceeding  fifteen  days'  wages. 


4.  On  voyages  between  ports  of  the  United  States  on  the 
Atlantic  or  Pacific  and  foreign  ports  to  which  allotments 
are  permitted,  not  described  in  the  foregoing  paragraphs, 
not  exceeding  ten  days'  wages. 

These  provisions  apply  to  all  vessels,  foreign  as  well  as 
American  (except  to  fishing  or  whaling  vessels  or  yachts), 
which  sign  crews  in  American  ports. 

The  foregoing  are  the  maximum  amounts  of  allotment 
allowable  in  the  respective  trades.  If  the  sum  actually  owing 
by  the  seaman  is  less  than  the  maximum  allowed  by  law  the 
amount  of  allotment  allowable  is  correspondingly  less.  In 
other  words,  the  amount  of  allotment  must  not  exceed  the 
amount  of  the  seaman's  debt. 

Anyone  misrepresenting  the  amount  of  a  seaman's  debt, 
or  making  false  claims  as  a  relative,  for  the  purpose  of  secur- 
ing allotment  is  punishable  by  a  fine  of  $500  or  imprisonment 
for  six  months. 

Any  sums  deducted  from  the  seaman's  wages  as  allotment, 
if  contrary  to  the  foregoing  provisions  of  the  law,  must  be 
refunded  at  the  pay-table  upon  demand  by  the  seaman.  If 
refused,  the  seaman  may  sue  for  and  recover  the  same. 

No  crimp,  boarding-master  or  other  person  can  hold  a 
seaman's  clothing  for  debt,  or  on  any  other  pretense,  under  a 
penalty  of  $100. 

The  seaman  who  exercises  the  rights  granted  him  by  these 
provisions  of  the  law  is  practically  a  free  man.  That  is  to 
say,  he  is  master  of  his  own  body,  of  his  wages  and  of  his 
clothing.  The  seaman  who  does  not  exercise  these  rights  is 
as  much  a  slave  as  he  was  under  the  old  law.  No  law  can  help 
the  man  who  submits  without  a  struggle  to  be  bluffed  and 
bulldozed  into  a  vessel  under  terms  that  he  does  not  approve 
of,  and  who  signs  an  allotment  note  for  more  than  the 
amount  of  his  debt,  under  the  threat  of  being  thrown  out  of 
a  boarding-house  without  his  clothing.  It  is  understood, 
of  course,  that  the  seaman,  acting  singly,  is  powerless  to 
resist  the  crimp.  But  this  weakness  really  lies,  not  in  the 
individual  seaman,  but  in  the  individual  method  that  he 
adopts.  By  uniting  with  other  individuals — in  a  word, 
by  organization — the  individual  seaman  becomes  powerful 
enough  to  accomplish  as  much  as  all  the  other  individuals 
put  together  can  accomplish,  because  all  the  others  add  their 
efforts  to  his. 

Organization  alone  made  possible  the  passage  of  the  law; 
organization  alone  can  make  possible  its  enforcement.  The 
seamen's  unions  have  succeeded  in  enforcing  the  new  law 
to  the  fullest  advantage  in  every  instance  involving  union 
members ;  they  have  failed  only  in  those  instances  involving 

23 


non-members  in  which  the  men  themselves  have  refused  to 
do  their  own  part.  The  seamen's  unions  have  succeeded — 
in  some  instances  by  suit,  in  others  by  simple  demand — in 
securing  the  repayment  to  the  seaman  of  sums  originally 
paid  to  the  crimps  in  violation  of  the  law.  This  success  has 
been  dependent,  in  the  first  instance,  upon  the  refusal  of 
the  seaman  concerned  to  accept  less  than  the  amount  he  is 
entitled  to.  The  seaman  who  takes  what  is  offered  him,  who 
allows  himself  to  be  robbed  and  otherwise  imposed  upon,  is 
not  only  the  most  helpless,  but  the  most  hopeless  creature 
in  existence.  The  whole  world  united  in  his  defense  can  do 
nothing  for  him.  "You  can't  make  a  silk  purse  out  of  a 


No.  5.    New  Century  Pamphlets  for  Seamen,  issued  by  the  International 
Seamen's  Union  of  America,  1901. 


The  Shipping  Articles 

The  act  of  "signing  articles"  appears  to  different  seamen  in 
different  lights.  To  some  it  is  a  mere  matter  of  form;  to 
others  it  is  a  very  serious  affair.  In  either  case  the  seaman 
seldom  thinks  of  questioning  any  part  of  the  proceedings, 
either  because  they  are  too  commonplace  or  too  solemn  to 
permit  of  discussion.  Seldom  or  never  does  the  seaman 
enter  a  shipping-office  feeling  that  he  himself  is  the.  most 
important  part  of  the  business ;  that  no  business  can  be  done 
unless  it  is  done  to  suit  him,  and  that  the  articles,  if  signed 
at  all,  must  express  his  wishes  regarding  the  terms  of  em- 
ployment, and  not  those  only  of  the  other  parties  to  the 
transaction.  In  general  the  demeanor  of  the  man  in  the  ship- 
ping-office resembles  that  of  the  man  at  the  foot  of  the  scaf- 
fold. The  shipping  articles  might  be  his  death-warrant,  the 
reading  of  which  he  waives,  either  because  he  is  determined 
to  "die  game"  or  because  his  thoughts  are  all  of  the  future. 
The  man  on  the  scaffold  must  die ;  the  man  in  the  shipping- 
office  must  ship.  For  both  the  future  is  equally  a  matter  of 
chance.  Then  why  bother  about  the  formalities  of  the 
present ! 

A  number  of  men  enter  a  shipping-office  to  sign  articles 
for  a  voyage.  The  articles  are  read.  Have  they  heard  them 
read  ?  Do  they  understand  them  ?  Are  they  willing  to  sign  ? 
A  pen  is  handed  to  each  man;  he  affixes  his  signature  and 
departs,  consoling  himself  with  the  reflection  that  if  he  does 
not  know  a  single  thing  about  it  he  has,  at  any  rate,  not 
made  a  holy  show  of  his  ignorance.  Anyway,  he  can  find  out 
all  about  it  from  the  crimp,  and  what  the  latter  does  not  tell 
him  he  can  find  out  before  the  voyage  is  over.  It  is  not  well 
to  be  too  inquisitive ! 

The  shipping-commissioner's  office  is  supposed  to  be  sacred 
to  the  uses  of  the  seaman  and  his  employer — a  sanctuary 
barred  to  the  crimp  and  all  others  not  directly  interested, 
or  interested  only  in  wronging  the  seaman.  But,  in  fact,  it  is 
nothing  of  the  kind.  Usually  the  crimp  has  as  much  to 
say  in  the  shipment  of  "his  men"  as  the  shipping-commis- 
sioner, and  very  ofter  more.  In  every  instance  the  inter- 
ests of  the  crimp,  as  such,  are  taken  as  much  care  of  by  the 
shipping-commissioner  as  are  those  of  the  seaman  and  ship- 
owner. Indeed,  it  may  be  said  without  exaggeration  that 
the  office  of  the  shipping-commissioner,  instead  of  being  a 

25 


protection  to  the  seaman  against  the  crimp,  as  it  was  orig- 
inally intended  to  be,  has  become  a  convenience  to  the  crimp 
in  his  business  of  fleecing  the  seaman. 

It  is  required  by  law  that  the  shipping  articles  shall  be 
read  by  or  to  the  seaman  so  that  he  thoroughly  understands 
them;  that  the  shipping-commissioner  shall  acquaint  each 
seaman  with  the  conditions  thereof,  and  that  the  seaman 
shall  sign  "freely  and  voluntarily,  while  sober  and  not  in  a 
state  of  intoxication."  Nothing  but  the  merest  pretense, 
and  often  not  even  that,  is  ever  made  to  comply  with  these 
provisions.  The  seaman  may,  or  may  not,  know  the  name 
of  the  vessel  or  the  nature  of  the  voyage ;  he  may  be  sober, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  he  may  be  in  a  "state  of  intoxica- 
tion" ;  he  may  be  asked  to  sign  for  an  allotment  equal  to  the 
amount  of  his  debt,  or,  as  mostly  happens,  he  may  be  asked 
to  sign  away  every  cent  that  the  law  allows;  the  arrange- 
ment with  reference  to  wages  may  be  fair,  or  it  may  be 
openly  fraudulent.  It  makes  no  difference  either  way  to  the 
seaman.  He  has  been  brought  to  the  shipping  office  for  the 
purpose  of  signing  articles,  and  the  crimp,  who  is  at  the  door, 
or,  it  may  be,  at  the  table,  will  see  that  he  does  sign. 

The  pliant  attitude  of  the  seaman  in  the  shipping-office 
is  due  in  great  part  to  his  unfamiliarity  with  the  contents 
of  the  shipping  articles.  His  ideas  as  to  what  the  articles 
should,  and  what  they  should  not  contain,  are  of  the  vaguest ; 
frequently  they  are  directly  contrary  to  the  facts.  When 
the  seaman  becomes  as  well  acquainted  with  the  right  and 
wrong  of  the  shipping  articles  as  he  is  with  the  right  and 
wrong  of  his  work  on  board  ship  he  will  be  just  as  confident 
in  going  about  the  business  of  signing  articles  as  he  is  ini 
going  about  his  daily  work,  and  be  as  little  likely  to  be 
fooled  into  committing  grave  mistakes  in  the  one  case  as 
in  the  other.  If  a  seaman  were  told  that  the  right  way  to 
furl  a  sail  is  to  begin  on  the  lee  side  he  would  smile,  and 
probably  refuse  to  obey  an  order  to  that  effect.  So,  when 
he  knows  his  shipping  articles  he  will  in  all  probability 
refuse  with  equal  positiveness  to  sign  anything  that  takes 
from  him  any  of  his  legal  rights,  or  otherwise  endangers  his 
personal  welfare. 

The  following  particulars  concerning  the  signing  of  ar- 
ticles, what  the  articles  mean  and  how  far  they  are  binding, 
are  selected  with  the  utmost  care  and  may  be  relied  upon  to 
be  absolutely  correct.  The  seaman  who  studies  them  may 
feel  sure  that  in  demanding  the  enforcement  of  the  provisions 
here  mentioned  he  is  making  a  demand  that  must  be  granted 
if  firmly  insisted  upon. 

First,  then,  every  seaman  engaging  for  a  voyage  in  the 
foreign,  or  in  the  "  'Round  the  Horn"  trade  must  sign  ar- 

26  - 


tides  in  the  presence  of  a  shipping-commissioner.  The 
shipping-commissioner  or  his  deputy  may  sign  a  crew  on 
board  the  vessel,  but  it  is  advisable  that  the  seaman  should 
insist  upon  signing  articles  in  the  shipping-commissioner's 
office  ashore.  In  the  case  of  foreign  vessels  in  American 
ports  and  American  vessels  in  foreign  ports  the  articles  must 
be  signed  in  the  presence  of  the  respective  consuls.  For 
every  seaman  taken  to  sea  without  first  signing  articles  the 
master  of  the  vessel  is  liable  to  a  penalty  of  $200. 

Seamen  engaging  in  the  coastwise  trade,  except  in  trade 
between  the  ports  of  adjoining  states,  must  also  sign  articles, 
stating  the  nature  of  the  voyage  or  the  length  of  time  for 
which  they  are  engaged.  If  no  such  agreement  is  signed 
the  master  of  the  vessel  must  pay  the  seaman  for  the  services 
rendered  at  the  highest  rate  of  wages  paid  at  the  port  ot 
shipment  for  a  similar  voyage  within  the  three  months  prior  to 
the  seaman's  shipment.  In  such  case  the  master  is  also  liable 
to  a  penalty  of  $20  for  each  seaman  who  has  not  signed  ar- 
ticles, one-half  of  that  sum  to  go  to  the  seaman  and  the  re- 
mainder to  the  United  States.  Seamen  thus  taken  to  sea 
without  signing  articles  are  not  bound  by  the  general  law, 
but  may  quit  the  vessel  at  any  time  and  demand  the  full 
amount  of  wages  earned. 

Coastwise  articles  may  be  signed  privately ;  but  if  the  par- 
ties agree  they  may  be  signed  in  the  presence  of  a  shipping- 
commissioner.  If  the  seaman  is  shipped  before  a  shipping- 
commissioner  he  must  also  be  paid  off  before  one.  With 
this  exception,  it  makes  practically  no  difference  in  law 
whether  the  articles  are  signed  privately  or  before  a  shipping- 
commissioner. 

The  shipping  articles  must  be  posted  on  board  the  vessel 
so  as  to  be  accessible  to  the  crew,  under  a  penalty  of  $100. 

Shipping  articles  in  the  Lake  trade  are  subject  wholly  to 
private  agreement  and  may  contain  any  provisions  not  con- 
trary to  the  general  law. 

No  "shipping-fees"  of  any  kind  are  payable  by  the  seaman 
in  any  trade,  or  under  any  circumstances.  Any  person, 
whether  a  shipping-commissioner,  an  employee  of  the  same, 
crimp,  boarding-master,  ship-master,  ship-owner  or  other- 
wise, who  demands  or  receives,  directly  or  indirectly  from 
any  seaman,  or  from  any  person  on  his  behalf,  any  remunera- 
tion whatever  for  providing  him  with  employment  is  liable  to 
a  penalty  of  $100. 

Under  the  shipping  articles  seamen  must  obey  all  orders 
of  the  shipmaster,  on  board,  in  boats  or  on  shore.  Seamen 
cannot  refuse  to  work  in  port  on  Sundays,  holidays  or  after 
the  usual  working  hours,  but  they  are  entitled  to  overtime 


pay  for  any  work  performed  at  such  times,  provided  such 
work  is  not  necessary  for  the  safety  of  the  vessel,  her  cargo 
or  the  lives  of  those  on  board. 

Shipping  articles  are  binding  for  the  full  term  agreed  upon. 
Seamen  leaving  a  vessel,  against  the  will  of  the  master,  be-- 
fore the  expiry  of  their  agreement  forfeit  all  wages  and 
effects  left  on  board.  They  may  take  their  clothing  with 
them  when  they  leave  the  vessel,  but  cannot  demand  their 
wages. 

In  case  of  shipwreck  seamen  are  entitled  to  the  wages  due 
at  the  time  of  leaving  the  vessel,  but  not  for  any  further 
period. 

Seamen  discharged  through  no  fault  of  their  own,  and  with- 
out their  consent,  before  the  commencement  of  the  voyage, 
or  before  one  month's  wages  are  earned,  must  receive  one 
month's  pay  in  addition  to  any  pay  they  may  have  earned. 

At  the  end  of  a  voyage  seamen  are  entitled  to  be  paid  off, 
if  in  the  coastwise  trade,  within  two  days ;  if  in  the  foreign- 
going  trade,  within  four  days  after  discharge.  If  discharged 
before  the  end  of  a  voyage  seamen  are  entitled  to  be  paid  off 
immediately  upon  their  discharge.  Seamen  kept  waiting  for 
their  wages  beyond  the  specified  periods  are  entitled  to  one 
day's  extra  wages  for  every  day's  delay.  At  the  end  of  a 
voyage  in  any  trade  the  seaman  is  entitled  to  receive  one- 
third  of  the  wages  due  him  at  the  time  of  leaving  the  vessel. 

Vessels  leaving  any  port  after  the  commencement  of  a 
voyage  must  ship  seamen  to  fill  all  vacancies  in  the  crew 
list  caused  by  death,  desertion  or  otherwise. 

Seamen  discharged  on  account  of  shipwreck  are  entitled  to 
their  wages  up  to  the  time  of  the  wreck  and  to  transportation 
to  the  port  of  shipment.  Seamen  discharged  in  a  foreign 
port  before  the  end  of  the  term  agreed  upon,  and  against  their 
will,  must  be  provided  with  another  vessel,  to  be  agreed  to  by 
them,  or  receive  one  month's  extra  wages,  provided  they  are 
not  discharged  for  neglect  of  duty  or  injury  received  on  the 
vessel.  Seamen  discharged  on  account  of  injury  or  illness 
are  entitled  to  maintenance  and  return  to  the  United  States 
at  the  expense  of  the  fund  for  the  maintenance  and  transporta- 
tion of  destitute  American  seamen. 

If  discharged  in  a  foreign  port  on  account  of  the  sale  of 
the  vessel  the  master  must  provide  each  seaman  with  employ- 
ment on  board  a  vessel  bound  to  the  original  port  of  ship- 
ment, or  to  such  other  port  as  may  be  agreed  upon,  or  pay 
his  passage  home. 

If  discharged  in  a  foreign  port  on  account  of  ill  treat- 
ment or  violation  of  agreement,  the  master  must  pay  the 
seaman  one  month's  extra  wages  and  provide  him  with  em- 


ployment  on  some  other  vessel,  or  provide  him  with  a 
passage  to  a  port  of  the  United  States  or  to  a  port  agreed 
to  by  the  seaman. 

Seamen  may  demand  the  survey  of  a  vessel,  if  in  a  home 
port,  upon  an  agreement  of  a  majority  of  the  crew,  and,  if  in 
a  foreign  port,  upon  an  agreement  of  a  majority  of  the  crew 
and  the  first  or  second  officer. 

Every  vessel  engaged  on  a  foreign  voyage  exceeding  in 
length  fourteen  days  must  carry  a  slop-chest  containing  at 
least  one  suit  of  woolen  clothing  for  each  member  of  the  crew. 
Every  vessel,  in  all  trades,  must  be  provided  with  a  safe  and 
warm  room  for  the  use  of  the  crew  in  cold  weather,  under 
a  penalty  of  not  less  than  $100. 

Offenses  on  the  part  of  seamen  are  punishable  as  follows : 

Desertion,  if  in  a  port  in  the  coastwise  trade,  by  forfeiture 
of  all  the  clothing  and  effects  left  on  board  and  of  all  the 
wages  due ;  if  in  a  port  in  the  foreign-going  trade,  by  the 
same  forfeitures  and  also  by  imprisonment,  at  the  discre- 
tion of  the  court,  for  not  more  than  one  month. 

Refusal  to  join  vessel  or  to  sail  in  her,  or  absence  with- 
out leave  within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  sailing  time,  if  in  a 
port  in  the  coastwise  trade,  by  forfeiture  of  not  more  than 
two  days'  pay,  or  sufficient  to  pay  a  substitute,  if  one  is 
engaged;  if  in  a  port  in  the  foreign-going  trade,  by  for- 
feiture of  not  more  than  two  days'  pay,  or,  at  the  discretion 
of  the  court,  by  imprisonment  for  not  more  than  one  month. 

Quitting  the  vessel,  in  any  port  or  trade,  before  she  is 
placed  in  security,  by  forfeiture  of  not  more  than  one  month's 
pay. 

Disobedience  to  lawful  commands  at  sea,  by  forfeiture  upon 
arrival  in  a  port  of  the  United  Sattes,  of  not  more  than 
four  days'  pay ;  upon  arrival  in  a  foreign  port,  by  the  same 
forfeiture,  or,  at  the  discretion  of  the  court,  by  imprison- 
ment for  not  more  than  one  month. 

Continued  disobedience  at  sea,  by  being  placed  in  irons,  on 
bread  and  water,  with  full  rations  every  fifth  day,  and,  upon 
arrival  in  a  port  of  the  United  States,  by  forfeiture  of  not- 
more  than  twelve  days'  pay  for  every  twenty-four  hours  of 
such  disobedience ;  upon  arrival  in  a  foreign  port,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  above  penalty,  by  imprisonment  for  not  more  than 
three  months,  at  the  discretion  of  the  court. 

Assaulting  the  master  or  mate,  in  any  trade,  by  imprison- 
ment for  not  more  than  two  years. 

Damaging  the  vessel,  or  damaging  or  embezzling  the. 
stores  or  cargo,  in  any  trade,  by  forfeiture  of  an  amount  equal 
to  the  Damage  caused  and  by  imprisonment  for  not  more 
than  twelve  months,  at  the  discretion  of  the  court. 

29 


Smuggling,  in  any  trade,  by  forfeiture  of  an  amount  equal 
to  the  loss  occasioned  and  imprisonment  for  not  more  than 
twelve  months. 

An  entry  of  each  offense  must  be  made  in  the  log-book 
on  the  day  it  is  committed  and  read  to  the  offender,  who  is 
entitled  to  have  his  reply  also  recorded.  These  entries  must 
be  signed  by  the  master  or  mate  or  one  of  the  crew.  The 
log-book  containing  these  entries  must  be  produced  at  the 
trial,  failing  which  the  court  may  refuse  to  consider  the 
charges  against  the  seaman. 

Seamen's  wages  cannot  be  attached  by  any  process  in  any 
court,  State  or  Federal. 

The  food-scale  must  be  displayed  on  every  vessel  where 
it  can  be  seen  by  the  crew.  No  substitutes  except  those 
mentioned  in  the  scale  are  permitted.  For  any  shortage 
in  the  amount  of  food  provided,  each  seaman  is  entitled  to 
the  following  sums  per  day:  For  shortage  not  exceeding^ 
one-third  of  the  scale,  not  more  than  fifty  cents  per  day; 
for  shortage  over  one-third  of  the  scale,  not  more  than  one 
dollar  per  day;  for  bad  quality  of  food,  not  more  than  one 
dollar  per  day. 

All  forms  of  corporal  punishment — striking,  beating,  etc. — 
are  positively  forbidden,  under  a  penalty  of  not  less  than 
three  months'  nor  more  than  two  years'  imprisonment.  Under 
the  law  no  form  of  corporal  punishment  can  be  considered 
justifiable;  that  is  to  say,  the  simple  fact  that  a  seaman  has 
been  assaulted  by  a  ship's  officer  is  sufficient  to  justify  his 
conviction.  Shipmasters  who  allow  ships'  officers  charged 
with  assaulting  seamen  to  escape  are  liable  in  damages  to 
the  seamen  assaulted. 

In  every  printed  form  of  shipping  articles  there  is  a  blank 
space,  in  which  the  shipmaster  may  insert  any  provisions  not 
contrary  to  law.  In  this  space  it  is  customary  to  write  the 
words,  "No  grog  allowed,"  "No  going  on  shore  in  port 
without  the  consent  of  the  master,"  etc.  This  feature  of  the 
shipping  articles  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  seaman, 
for  the  reason  that  these  provisions,  while  they  may  not  be 
contrary  to  law,  may  take  away  some  of  the  advantages 
of  the  law  to  which  the  seaman  would  otherwise  be  entitled. 

The  most  striking  instance  of  this  is  the  provision  usually 
inserted  in  the  blank  space  of  shipping  articles,  as  follows: 

"No  money  in  port  except  at  master's  option." 

This  provision  is  in  keeping  with  the  law,  and  yet  it  takes 
from  the  seaman  the  right  which  the  law  gives  him  to  de- 
mand one-half  of  the  wages  due  him  in  every  port  of  loading 
and  discharge  after  the  voyage  has  commenced.  The  ex- 
planation of  this  seemingly  contradictory  situation  is  con- 

3° 


tained  in  the  law  itself,  which  says  that  the  seaman  is  enti- 
tled to  one-half  of  his  pay,  "unless  the  contrary  is  expressly 
stipulated  in  the  contract."  Thus,  the  law  says,  in  effect, 
that  the  seaman  shall  be  entitled  to  one-half  of  his  wages  in 
port  only  in  event  that  he  does  not  sign  that  right  away. 

Seamen  should  be  careful  to  see  that  the  "  no-money " 
clause  is  not  inserted  in  the  shipping  articles.  If  the  ship- 
master insists  upon  inserting  that  clause  the  seaman  should 
refuse  to  sign.  The  provision  that  seamen  shall  be  entitled 
to  one-half  of  the  wages  due  in  port  is  one  of  the  most 
beneficial  features  of  the  law.  Its  enforcement  will  enable 
the  seaman  to  provide  for  his  wants  while  on  a  voyage  with- 
out having  to  submit  to  the  extortions  of  storekeepers  and 
money-lenders.  Moreover,  its  enforcement  will  prove  to  the 
public  and  the  lawmakers  that  the  seaman  appreciates,  and 
is  prepared  to  avail  himself  of  any  advantages  offered  him. 

Failure  to  enforce  this  part  of  the  law  will  go  far  to  prove 
what  the  enemies  of  the  seamen  have  always  contended  as  an 
excuse  for  keeping  the  seaman  in  subjection;  namely,  that 
the  seaman  himself  does  not  desire  the  liberty  of  his  wages, 
but  prefers  to  have  them  tied  to  the  ship  as  a  safeguard 
against  his  own  weakness  in  money  matters.  The  seaman 
should  claim  and  enforce  the  right  to  control  his  own  wages 
at  all  times,  and  by  so  doing  deny  the  right  of  any  person 
or  class  to  assume  that  his  wages  should  be  withheld  on 
the  ground  that  he  may  lose  them  or  spend  them  foolishly. 

So,  with  reference  to  the  provision  against  going  ashore 
without  permission  of  the  master,  and  the  other  clauses  which 
are  frequently  inserted  in  the  articles,  the  seaman  should 
refuse  to  sign  anything  that  tends  to  lessen  the  liberties 
guaranteed  by  the  actual  terms  of  the  law.  At  best  these 
liberties  are  too  few ;  we  can  only  secure  more  by  using  those 
we  have  to  the  fullest  extent.  To  voluntarily  surrender  any  of 
the  advantages  now  made  possible  by  the  law  would  be 
simply  to  invite  their  curtailment.  Liberties  are  like  legs; 
they  grow  by  use  and  are  lost  by  disuse. 

A  careful  reading  of  these  features  of  the  maritime  law, 
as  covered  by  the  shipping  articles,  will  inform  the  seaman 
as  to  his  interests,  in  the  shipping-office  and  on  board  ship. 
But  it  must  be  remembered  that  a  knowledge  of  what  is 
meant  by  the  shipping  articles  is  not  of  itself  enough  to 
protect  the  seaman  in  his  rights.  In  the  end,  united  action 
alone  will  prevail.  One  seaman  does  not  make  a  ship's 
crew;  neither  can  one  seaman  force  the  shipmaster  to  make 
the  proper  corrections  in  the  articles  proposed.  To  be  suc- 
cessful in  this,  as  in  other  respects,  the  seamen  must  act 
as  a  body  in  refusing  to  sign  shipping  articles  that  deprive 
them  of  their  just  dues. 

31 


No.  6.    New  Century  Pamphlets  for  Seamen,  issued  by  the  International 
Seamen's  Union  of  America,  1901. 


The  New  Seamen's  Bill 

The  one  thing  which,  more  than  any  other,  distinguishes 
man  from  the  beasts  is  his  constant  desire  for  more  and 
more  advantage  in  life.  When  you  see  an  ass  browsing  on 
thistles,  a  calf  threading  its  way  along  a  crooked  rut  in  the 
road  or  a  monkey  hanging  by  its  tail  to  the  limb  of  a  tree, 
you  see  exactly  what  the  ancestors  of  these  animals  did  a 
thousand  years  ago. 

With  man  it  is  different.  The  barbarian  of  a  few  centuries 
ago  has  developed  into  the  civilized  being  of  to-day ;  a  few 
centuries  hence  our  posterity  will  have  developed  a  civiliza- 
tion which  will  make  the  customs  of  to-day  look  crude  and 
childish.  At  the  present  moment  there  is  no  more  striking 
instance  of  this  characteristic  of  the  human  species  than  the 
seaman  who  has  felt  the  inspiration  of  unionism.  While  for 
many  years  it  looked  as  though  the  seaman  was  something 
of  an  ass,  contented  by  nature  to  eat  the  thistles  that  were 
generously  allowed  him  by  his  masters,  it  needed  but  a  start 
toward  something  better  to  arouse  in  him  all  the  instincts 
and  energies  of  a  normal  man.  The 'result  is  that  the  sea- 
man, so  far  from  being  satisfied  with  the  improvements 
already  made  in  the  law,  is  demanding  further  and  more  far- 
reaching  improvements  on  the  same  general  lines. 

The  seamen's  bill,  now  before  Congress,  proposes  a  num- 
ber of  improvements  on  points  already  covered  by  the  law, 
and  a  few  innovations  in  matters  that  have  so  far  been  con- 
sidered as  beyond  the  scope  of  the  law-making  power. 
Briefly  stated,  the  main  objects  of  the  bill  are :  Legal  estab- 
lishment of  "watch-and-watch"  at  sea  in  the  performance 
of  routine  work.  Prohibition  of  unnecessary  work  in  port 
and  at  sea  on  Sundays  and  holidays.  Establishment  of  a 
nine-hour  work  day  in  port.  Enlargement  of  forecastles. 
Establishment  of  a  manning  scale  for  all  vessels.  Exclusion 
of  Asiatics  from  all  vessels  of  the  United  States. 

The  significance  of  these  provisions  will  be  manifest  to 
every  seaman  at  a  glance.  The  passage  of  the  bill  will  for- 
ever put  a  stop  to  that  crying  evil,  "Kalashi  Watch,"  under 
which  the  seamen  in  many  vessels  are  compelled  to  work  dur- 

32 


ing  the  whole  of  the  day  and  half  of  the  night.  The  aboli- 
tion of  Sunday  and  holiday  work  in  port  and  at  sea  and  the 
establishment  "of  a  nine-hour  workday  in  port  will  give  the 
seamen  a  share  of  the  benefits  so  long  enjoyed  by  their 
fellow-workers  ashore. 

Speaking  of  the  effort  to  reduce  the  length  of  the  day's 
work,  we  are  reminded  that  there  is  no  class  of  workers 
so  backward  in  the  movement  for  shorter  hours  as  are  the 
seamen.  This  state  of  affairs  is  due,  of  course,  to  the 
peculiar  conditions  of  our  calling,  or  rather,  we  should  say, 
to  the  exaggerated  conception  of  them  which  has  obtained 
with  the  powers  that  have  made  the  working  rules  of  the 
seaman.  Because  conditions  required  that  the  seaman  should 
be  at  the  beck  and  call  of  the  shipmaster  while  at  sea,  it  has 
been  taken  for  granted  that  he  should  be  equally  subservient 
in  port.  While  most  men  engaged  in  callings  ashore  have 
gradually  reduced  the  length -of  the  day's  work  so  as  to  leave 
them  some  time  for  rest  and  recreation,  the  seamen  have  con- 
tinued to  toil  as  long  as  nature  could  stand  the  strain. 

The  shorter  workday  is  demanded  upon  two  main  grounds ; 
first,  upon  the  ground  that  it  is  necessary  for  purposes  of 
rest,  and,  secondly,  upon  the  ground  that  it  is  necessary  for 
purposes  of  education.  Under  the  system  of  long  hours  men 
stay  at  their  toil  until  the  body  is  exhausted  and  the  mind; 
deadened.  This  system  results  in  a  reversal  of  the  natural 
order  of  things,  so  that  men  become  mere  beasts  of  burden 
— living  to  work,  instead  of  working  to  live.  As  long  as 
this  condition  lasts  little  or  no  real  progress  can  be  hoped 
for.  "Knowledge  is  power."  Before  the  seaman  or  any 
other  class  of  workers  can  secure  the  po.wer  to  regulate  their 
own  industrial  affairs  on  a  basis  of  justice  to  themselves,  they 
must  educate  themselves  to  a  thorough  understanding  of  the 
principles  by  which  the  relations  of  men  are  governed.  To 
secure  this  education  they  must  first  secure  the  leisure  in 
which  to  study. 

As  a  matter  of  simple  justice,  if  for  no  other  reason,  the 
reduction  of  the  seaman's  daily  hours  of  labor  should  enlist 
the  co-operation  of  all  classes  and  should  certainly  command 
the  earnest  efforts  of  the  seamen  themselves.  When  we  con- 
sider the  nature,  of  the  seaman's  work  and  the  fact  that  in 
similarly  hard  toil  on  land  the  workers  are  enjoying  a  very 
general  eight-hour  day,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  sea- 
man's demand  for  a  nine-hour  day  is  exceedingly  modest. 
The  demand  for  the  abolition  of  "Kalashi  Watch"  and  Sunday 
and  holiday  work  is,  of  course,  a  necessary  feature  of  the  same 
movement.  Further,  it  is  directly  in  line  with  the  necessary 
and  proper  precautions  for  safeguarding  life  and  property 

33 


at  sea.  There  can  be  no  denying  that  the  custom  of  com- 
pelling seamen  to  keep  anchor-watch  of  one  or  two  hours 
after  performing  a  long  and  exhausting  day's  work  is  a  posi- 
tive menace  to  safety.  This  observation  applies  with  even 
more  force  in  the  case  of  crews  who  at  sea  are  compelled 
to  work  all  day  and  then  stand  the  regular  watches  at  night. 
Thus  the  interest  of  the  public  in  the  shortening  of  the  day's 
labor  of  the  seaman  is  as  immediate  as  that  of  the  seaman 
himself.  Speaking  of  holidays,  it  may  be  truthfully  said  that, 
as  a  general  thing,  the  seaman  enjoys  no  such  opportunities 
of  relaxation.  Indeed,  the  fact  is  that  the  public  holiday 
has  no  significance  for  the  seaman  other  than  as  an  occasion 
on  which  he  is  made  to  feel,  more  than  at  any  other  time,  the 
discrimination  that  is  practised  against  his  calling. 

The  sentiments  of  patriotism  and  the  proper  respect  for 
religious  occasions,  which  are  so  universally  commended  in 
all  other  classes,  are  supposed  to  have  no  place  with  the 
seaman.  The  inevitable  result  of  this  upon  the  seaman  is 
morally  deteriorative.  From  every  point  of  view,  therefore, 
we  believe  that  the  seaman's  demands  for  a  shorter  workday 
and  the  proper  observance  of  Sundays  and  holidays  are 
just  and  reasonable.  It  is  understood,  of  course,  and  spe- 
cifically stated  in  the  bill  itself,  that  these  provisions  will  not 
in  any  way  interfere  with  the  power  of  the  vessel's  officers 
to  require  the  performance,  at  any  time  and  under  any  cir- 
cumstances^  of  whatever  work  may  be  necessary  for  the  safety 
of  the  vessel,  her  freight,  crew  and  passengers.  The  utmost 
that  the  bill  aims  to  accomplish  is  to  put  a  stop  to  the  sys- 
tem, now  largely  prevailing  of  "working  up"  crews,  for  the 
mere  sake,  as  is  often  the  case,  of  "keeping  them  out  of 
mischief!" 

The  enlargement  of  ships'  forecastles  so  as  to  increase 
the  space  provided  for  each  seaman  from  72  cubic  feet  and  12 
square  feet  to  not  less  than  100  and  16  feet,  respectively,  will 
give  the  seaman  a  reasonable  amount  of  breathing  room.  The 
same  section  of  the  bill  provides  for  proper  living  quarters 
for  the  crews  of  whaling  and  fishing  vessels,  yachts  and  pilot 
boats ;  also  for  the  crews  of  steamers  on  the  Mississippi  River. 

The  proposal  for  a  specific  manning  scale  is  a  distinctly  new 
feature  of  the  maritime  legislation  of  the  United  States.  In 
substance,  the  bill  requires  that  all  sailing  vessels  shall  carry 
a  minimum  of  "effective  hands,"  ranging  from  5  2-3  in  vessels 
of  200  tons  to  30  2-3  in  vessels  of  3,000  tons. 

By  the  term  "effective  hand"  is  meant  an  able  seaman, 
master,  mate,  boatswain,  carpenter  or  sailmaker.  Cooks, 
stewards,  apprentices  and  ordinary-seamen  are  rated  pro- 
portionately as  parts  of  an  "effective  hand."  Steamers  are 

34 


required  to  carry  a  minimum  deck  crew  ranging  from  six 
hands  (including  all  officers)  in  vessels  of  from  200  to  350 
tons  to  sixteen  hands  in  vessels  of  from  5,500  to  6,000  tons, 
with  an  additional  "effective  hand"  for  each  additional  1,000 
tons. 

Able-seamen  must  be  at  least  nineteen  years  of  age  and 
of  three  years'  experience  at  sea  on  deck;  ordinary-seamen 
must  be  at  least  eighteen  years  of  age  and  of  one  year's  ex- 
perience at  sea  on  deck.  The  bill  also  provides  that  no 
Asiatic — that  is,  Chinese,  Japanese,  Malay  or  Lascar — shall 
be  engaged  in  any  capacity  on  any  vessel  of  the  United 
States. 

In  addition  to  these  new  features  of  the  maritime  law,  the 
bill  now  being  urged  by  the  organized  seamen  provides  for 
the  improvement  of  numerous  features  of  the  law  as  it  now 
stands.  It  proposes  to  increase  the  amount  payable  to  the 
seaman  in  event  that  he  is  kept  waiting  for  his  wages  longer 
than  the  two  or  four  days  specified,  from  one  to  two  days' 
extra  wages  for  each  day's  delay ;  to  prohibit  the  insertion  of 
the  "no-money"  clause  in  the  shipping  articles ;  to  bring  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  within  the  provisions  of  the  law  governing 
the  coastwise  trade ;  to  make  the  vessel,  instead  of  the  mas- 
ter, liable  in  damages  for  the  escape  of  a  ship's  officer  charged 
with  assaulting  a  seaman;  to  improve  the  food  scale  by 
increasing  the  daily  allowance  of  water  from  four  to  six  quarts, 
and  the  daily  allowance  of  butter  from  one  to  two  ounces ;  to 
abolish  all  allotment  to  an  "original  creditor"  in  the  foreign 
as  well  as  in  the  coastwise  trade ;  to  abolish  all  imprisonment 
for  desertion,  in  foreign  as  well  as  in  domestic  ports ;  to 
compel  the  masters  of  foreign  Vessels  to  present  their  ship- 
ping articles  at  the  office  of  clearance,  so  as  to  prevent  the 
violation  of  the  allotment  law  by  such  vessels ;  to  reduce  the 
limit  of  sailing  vessel  tonnage  now  liable  to  annual  inspection 
from  700  to  200  tons,  and  to  extend  the  right  to  demand  a  sur- 
vey in  foreign  ports  to  a  majority  of  the  crew,  irrespective 
of  the  officers,  as  is  now  the  case  in  home  ports. 

In  the  foregoing  necessarily  brief  resume  of  the  seamen's 
bill  every  reader  who  goes  to  sea  will  find  much  to  favor, 
and  every  reader  who  stays  ashore  much  to  oppose.  Volumes 
could  be  written  for  and  against  the  measure.  But,  after  all, 
any  opposition  to  the  bill  must  rest  entirely  upon  the  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  or  not  the  bill  is  a  "practical"  one.  Can 
it  be  put  into  effect  -without  disturbing  the  shipping  inter- 
ests ? 

This  question  has  really  no  place  in  the  consideration  of 
the  matter.  No  improvement,  however  great  or  small,  how- 
ever much  needed,  however  much  demanded  by  considera- 

35 


tions  of  humanity,  was  ever  accomplished  without  some 
disturbance  of  previously  existing  conditions.  The  only  ques- 
tion that  ought  to  enter  into  the  discussion  of  the  proposed 
law  is  the  question  of  justice  to  the  seaman,  of  so  improving 
the  circumstances  of  his  life  as  to  bring  them  up  to  the  pre- 
vailing standard  of  decent,  healthy  and  honorable  existence. 

In  the  judgment  of  the  organized  seamen,  the  bill  now  pro- 
posed to  Congress  is  a  simple  proposal  to  secure  for  the  sea- 
men conditions  which  will  guarantee  them  a  reasonable  time 
for  rest  and  recreation  from  toil  that  is  sufficiently  exacting 
under  the  best  of  circumstances ;  that  will  provide  for  living 
quarters  in  which  the  elemental  laws  of  human  health  may  be 
observed  and  the  common  code  of  human  decency  be 
respected;  that  will  ensure  the  employment  on  every  vessel 
of  a  number  of  seamen  sufficient  to  safeguard  life  and  prop- 
erty in  time  of  emergency. 

For  the  rest,  the  bill  will  remedy  a  number  of  defects  that 
have  developed  under  the  operation  of  the  existing  law. 
Even  with  the  great  improvement  achieved  by  the  seamen's 
unions,  it  has  been  found  that  the  intention  of  the  law  has 
been  frustrated  to  a  great  extent  by  the  various  tricks  and 
devices  known  to  the  seamen's  enemies.  While  the  law  limits 
allotment  to  an  "original  creditor"  to  one  month's  wages  at 
most,  in  numerous  instances  the  shipping  articles  have  con- 
tained provisions  which  practically  increased  the  amount  of 
allotment  to  two  months'  wages.  In  short,  it  has  become 
evident  that  as  long  as  the  crimp  is  allowed  any  legal  claim, 
no  matter  how  slight,  upon  the  seaman's  wages  he  will  find 
a  way  to  assert  full  control  over  them  through  the  "blood- 
money,"  and  other  schemes  of  the  fraternity.  Consequently, 
the  only  practical  alternative  remaining  to  the  seaman  is  to 
abolish  all  allotment  to  "original  creditor."  This  the  new 
bill  will  do.  Then  the  seaman  who  makes  a  voyage  will  be 
entitled  to  be  paid  off  with  every  cent  of  the  money  earned 
from  the  day  of  joining  the  vessel.  The  "dead  horse"  will 
be  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  the  entire  crimping  institution  will 
be  destroyed  by  its  own  corruption.  When  the  crimp  is 
reduced  to  depend  upon  the  seaman  himself  voluntarily  pay- 
ing for  his  own  enslavement  the  day  of  that  species  of  para- 
site will  be  short  in  the  land. 

Imprisonment  for  desertion,  i.  e.,  involuntary  servitude,  in 
a  foreign  port  will  also  be  strictly  abolished  when  the  new 
bill  becomes  law.  Thus  the  seaman  will  be  free  in  practice, 
and  the  principle  of  personal  liberty  be  extended  to  the 
American  seaman  in  all  ports  of  the  world. 

These  and  all  the  other  important  features  of  the  bill  the 
organized  seamen  hope  to  see  realized  in  the  near  future. 

36 


That  they  will  some  day  be  realized  is  as  certain  as  that  the 
seamen's  unions  have  already  achieved  measures  equally,  if 
not  more,  difficult  of  attainment.  The  seamen,  like  the  rest 
of  the  human  race,  "want  more,"  and  they  are  bound  to  get 
more.  It  only  remains  for  the  seamen  of  to-day  to  say 
whether  they  shall  secure  these  advantages  for  themselves, 
or  whether  they  shall,  through  lack  of  diligence  and  fore- 
sight, forfeit  these  advantages  to  posterity.  Posterity  has 
done  nothing  for  us;  it  can  not  do  anything  for  us.  Let  us 
be  up  and  doing,  that  we  may  reap  the  full  reward  of  our 
work,  in  the  present  day  and  generation. 


37 


No.  7.    New  Century  Pamphlets  for  Seamen,  issued  by  the  Internationa! 
Seamen's  Union  of  America,  1901. 


The  Seamen's  Unions  and  the  Labor 
Movement 

The  seamen's  unions  and  other  labor  organizations  in  the 
country  have  been  called  into  existence  by  a  recognition  of 
the  truth  that  the  individual  worker,  man  or  woman,  is  help- 
less against  the  greater  power  of  the  individual  employer. 
The  federation  of  the  different  unions  in  the  labor  councils  of 
the  respective  cities,  and  again  in  the  great  national  and  inter- 
national organizations,  and,  still  again,  in  the  American  Feder- 
ation of  Labor,  is  but  another  recognition  of  the  same  truth — 
that  organization,  to  be  effective,  must  be  complete ;  that  the 
organization  and  concentration  of  the  employing-classes  can 
only  be  met  by  organization  and  concentration  on  the  part  of 
labor  as  a  whole. 

The  seamen's  unions  owe  much  to  the  labor  movement  of 
the  country.  To  the  assistance  so  readily  and  generously  given 
by  the  trade-unions  in  every  section  of  the  United  States  is 
due  the  passage  of  those  laws  which  have  freed  the  seamen, 
from  the  bondage  of  centuries.  Without  such  assistance  the 
seamen  could  never  have  so  impressed  their  cause  upon  Con- 
gress as  to  make  that  body  listen  respectfully  to  their  wants 
and  grant  them  the  desired  measures  of  improvement.  As 
seamen,  no  matter  how  well  organized,  we  would  still  have 
been  acting  under  the  disadvantage  of  a  purely  class  move- 
ment; acting  with  the  co-operation  of  all  other  classes  of 
workers,  we  were  assured  of  success,  because  our  movement 
then  became  a  purely  humanitarian  one. 

Whatever  the  seamen  hope  for  in  future  can  only  be 
obtained  by  the  aid  of  the  labor  movement  at  large.  Whether 
our  efforts  be  aimed  at  improvements  in  the  law  or  at  the 
more  immediate  object  of  securing  concessions  from  the  ship- 
owners, the  aid  of  the  public  will  be  necessary  to  success.  In 
this  age  of  centralization  the  individual  union  or  the  individual 
trade  that  assumes  independence  of  other  unions  and  trades 
is  as  certainly  doomed  to  failure  as  is  the  individual  man  or 
woman  who  assumes  independence  of  other  individuals. 

The  seamen's  unions,  in  the  past,  have  fully  recognized 
their  obligation  and  duty  to  unite  themselves  closely  with 
the  unions  to  their  fellow  workers  wherever  possible.  When- 
ever a  union  of  seamen  has  been  formed  one  of  its  first  steps 
has  been  to  affiliate  with  the  central  labor  body  in  its  vicinity, 
where  such  existed,  or  to  form  one  if  necessary.  Under  this 
policy  the  organized  seamen  have  attained  a  position  of  influ- 

38 


ence  in  the  counsels  of  labor,  commanding  the  sincere  respect 
and  the  hearty  co-operation  of  trades-unionists,  everywhere. 

This  position  has  been  attained  at  comparatively  little 
expense  in  money.  For  the  expenditures  made  by  the  sea- 
men, they  have  received  returns  a  hundred  fold,  if  not  in  the 
same  coin,  yet  in  service  that  in  itself  involved  a  great  outlay 
in  the  aggregate,  and  which,  moreover,  could  not  have  been 
purchased  for  any  purely  monetary  consideration. 

The  obligation  of  mutual  assistance  does  not  stop  at  the 
relations  of  union  to  union,  but  includes  a  duty  on  the  part  of 
every  individual  member  to  further  the  interest  of  other 
organized  workers.  This  can  be  done  most  effectually  by 
creating  and  increasing  the  demand  for  the  products  of  organ- 
ized labor.  In  this  connection  there  are  two  or  three  points 
which  if  kept  well  in  mind  .will  make  clear  the  course  of  con- 
duct to  be  pursued  and  the  justification  therefor. 

The  labor  organization,  being  an  organization  of  producers, 
is  of  use  only  in  so  far  as  it  can  affect  production.  When 
members  of  a  union  strike  they  affect  production  by  ceasing 
to  produce ;  when  they  place  a  boycott  on  any  unfair  firm 
or  article,  they  affect  production  by  refusing  to  patronize 
such  firm  or  article.  The  same  principle,  though  in  a  different 
degree,  operates  when  the  members  of  a  union  concentrate 
their  demand  for  any  given  products  upon  those  that  are  made 
by  the  members  of  other  unions.  In  the  case  of  the  strike 
or  boycott  the  withholding  of  service  or  patronge  affects 
production  by  stopping  it ;  in  the  case  of  concerted  demand, 
production  is  affected  by  increasing  it.  The  action  of  the 
man  who  consumes  is  of  as  much  importance  in  the  outcome 
as  is  that  of  the  man  who  produces,  In  other  words,  it  is  as 
necessary  for  the  improvement  of  conditions,  say  in  the 
cigarmaking  trade,  that  the  man  who  smokes  should  refrain 
from  purchasing  cigars  made  in  certain  factories,  as  that  the 
workers  should  go  on  strike  as  a  protest  against  injustice. 
Nay,  even  more  so ;  for  although  the  cigarmakers  may  go 
on  strike,  conditions  will  remain  unredressed  as  long  as  the 
products  of  the  struck  factories,  or  others  made  under  similar 
conditions,  are  accepted  by  the  public. 

Demand  creates  supply.  Storekeepers  are  not  in  business 
for  their  health  nor  for  their  sentiment,  but  for  the  money 
that  is  in  it.  They  do  not  keep  those  articles  which  they 
know  to  be  the  best  because  they  are  the  best,  but  because 
they  sell  to  the  best  advantage.  As  between  a  union  and  a 
non-union  made  product,  the  demand  for  both  being  equal, 
business  instinct  will  give  the  preference  to  the  latter,  since, 
as  the  man  who  produces  it  gets  least  for  his  labor,  the  man 
who  sells  it  can  secure  most  for  his  profit.  But,  let  the  demand 

39 


for  the  union  made  product  increase  so  as  to  overcome  this 
difference,  and  it  will  immediately  be  given  the  preference. 
In  most  instances,  if  a  storekeeper  is  unable  to  supply  union- 
made  goods  at  a  moment's  notice,  the  fault  is  with  his  patrons 
rather  than  with  himself. 

The  demand  for  union  articles  should  be  unqualified  and 
persistent ;  it  should  not  be  put  off  with  "something  just  as 
good,"  under  the  name  of  "home  industry"  or  any  other 
deceptive  term.  Union  industry  alone  should  be  recognized 
by  union  men ;  if  it  is  at  the  same  time  home  industry,  so 
much  the  better.  The  main  point  is  that  the  demand  be  made 
for  the  products  of  union  men  and  women,  even  though  they 
be  produced  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  earth. 

In  making  this  demand  the  only  guide  and  assurance 
against  deception  is  the  union  label.  This  little  device  is  the 
most  powerful  weapon  in  the  service  of  organized  labor.  It  is 
to  be  found  stitched,  stamped,  stuck  or  printed  on  a  great 
number  of  the  products  of  the  trade-unionists.  Where  it  is 
found  it  proclaims  with  absolute  assurance  that  the  articles 
upon  which  it  appears  are  made  by  union  men  and  women ; 
there  is  absolutely  no  such  assurance  without  it.  The  union 
label  guarantees  also  that  the  articles  bearing  it  are  made  un- 
der conditions  which  assure  good  workmanship.  It  guarantees 
health  to  the  eater  and  drinker,  cleanliness  to  the  smoker,  com- 
fort to  the  wearer  and  lasting  satisfaction  to  the  user  under  all 
circumstances.  The  absence  of  the  label  implies  the  opposite 
of  these  conditions. 

In  rendering  this  moral  support  to  the  workers  in  other 
crafts  the  seamen  will  not  only  perform  a  duty  that  is  clear 
and  imperative — they  will  observe  a  policy  that  is  wise  and 
expedient — a  policy  that  will  bring  them  returns  in  the  hour 
of  their  need.  To  the  seaman  who  cannot  be  readily  inspired 
to  doing  his  duty  for  its  own  sake,  we  would  point  out  that 
by  helping  others  we  help  ourselves.  Absolute  independence 
is  a  myth.  There  is  no  such  thing,  neither  as  regards  the 
individual  man  nor  the  individual  combination  of  men.  Men, 
unions,  countries,  worlds  and  universes  depend  upon  each 
other  in  at  least  some  degree.  The  seamen's  unions,  then, 
depend  upon  the  unions  of  other  trades  for  some  measure 
of  the  strength  that  they  need  to  fight  the  great  battles  ahead 
of  them,  as  they  have  depended  upon  that  source  of  strength 
for  the  victories  of  the  past.  The  workers  of  the  world  can 
only  progress  with  the  speed  of  the  most  backward.  No 
union  can  long  outstrip  the  general  movement,  any  more  than 
a  man  can  walk  on  air.  It  is  our  duty,  it  should  be  our 
policy,  to  give  support  to  every  other  trade-union,  the  more 
in  proportion  to  its  weakness,  so  that  the  day  of  justice  for 
all  may  be  hastened. 

40 


